"Long after they've forgotten what you taught them, they will remember how you treated them."
-author unknown

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Project Citizen as an example of student democracy

Middle school years are a time when students start to seek independence (both at home and at school).  You probably know this already!  We try to give our students an opportunity to have a say in how their school operates.  There are many ways to do this and there is no clearer example than Project Citizen.  The link to the Project Citizen home page is in the navigation bar to the right of this entry.

There is a group of students at OHMS who are currently participating in Project Citizen.  Their project will be looking at the Student Code of Conduct that exists in the student handbook.  The students started by examining the Code of Conduct and drafting a problem statement.  This problem statement had five points to be addressed.  In addition to this statement, the group has created two surveys, one for students and the other for the OHMS staff.  These surveys are designed to gather input from the respective groups regarding their experiences with the Code of Conduct.  The group has also met with me a number of times throughout the process.

The ultimate goal is for their work to have a direct and positive effect on their school community.  I have no doubt it will have such an effect.  We are always looking for ways to include our students in decision making at OHMS.  Project Citizen is just one way for this to occur.  Great work kids!!      

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