Haters may hate, but Council is an effective institution. Yes, it may be slow, and yes, we may not always have the most interesting or effective motions, but Council does good work. Most people see the face of council: "annoying" posts on the council facebook page, angry council members ranting about issues that don't seem important to the regular high schooler. However, most people don't see the real work that goes on. The Executive Committee, comprised of Council Leadership and all of the standing committee chairs, meets every Monday at 7:30 in the office conference room to set the agenda for the Council meeting each week. In Exec we discuss strategies, motions, and almost anything related to improving the school. Then, during the Council meeting on Wednesday, we fire away opinions at each other, learn procedure, and continue striving to make the school a better place.
Although we may not "do" much, Council is most effective when the going gets tough. When students get angry, they have a method of changing policies and advocating for themselves. Although the current council may not do much, that only reflects the good work of past councils in making a strong, democratic school where everyone has a voice. I wish that people would see that the business of Council is not just passing motions, but discussing issues with our school and working on ways to make the school a better place and to give everyone a voice.
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Council may be effective, but what are they effective at doing? I could see them being an effective force for good in a time of crisis for the school, but other than that, why do we really need council? Last year, one of the largest and most public and talked about subject was that of putting condom dispensers into bathrooms. I don’t believe that this is something that our school council should be spending it’s time on. This is not an emergency. We are in the golden age of education in our school, and nothing can be blatently said to be amis. With this in mind, do we need council now, or can we just use council in times of duress with actually pressing matters?
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