Civics students have proven that local youth have an more voice in the Piedmont community than students previously thought.

Civics teachers Dave Keller and Katie Terhar have been sending students to a multitude of city meetings including the city council, school board, and parks and recreation departments for a citizenship project. Because previous civics teacher Rich Kitchens had been giving the assignment for 30 years, Keller decided to continue it.

“It’s an interesting project,” Keller said. “At the bare minimum, students get to see how government works, but at best, they get the opportunity to change things.”

Senior Ami Felson first handedly experienced his requested change at a school board meeting. He requested to make sure that the male bathrooms were regularly refilled with soap and toilet paper, and that faulty locks and dryers be fixed.

“President Andrea Swenson appreciated the feedback and said that they would get onto fixing these problems,” Felson said. “I was surprised that after all these years of having sub-par bathroom conditions, my two-minute request could change the inconveniences that occur on a frequent basis in our high school.”

Part of the Citizenship Project requires a brief write up summarizing the meeting and the student’s participation, which could entail a comment or complaint about a city or school project.

Keller forwards these write ups to a blog called the Piedmont Civic Association, which is read by the city council and other local organizations.   

Senior Frances Putman spoke at a School Board meeting when her interest peaked when Mr. Booker talked about support classes specifically for math. She talked about how the new math program would have really helped her and other students like her in middle school.

“To come out and say these things with full honesty took a toll on me emotionally; but explaining myself, my story, my anxieties, my struggles, could strengthen the School Board’s stance on this topic,” Putnam said. “Maybe I helped them get closer to reaching a decision.”

The project is not only a positive experience for students, but teachers as well.

“Common Core tells teachers to give students more real life opportunities,” Keller said. “So publishing student opinions on a political blog fits perfectly.”

Keller said that the purpose of the meetings are not to go and whine, but that the agencies function as a place for people to voice concerns.

“The more that people express, the more it will make a difference,” Keller said. “It really builds a civic culture when individuals care about what is happening.”

Felson said attending the meetings is important because students do not realize that having a school board member hear comments and concerns regarding school board policy is more valuable and makes it more likely for change to occur, rather than simply complaining to a staff member on the high school campus.

“These meetings are important because if the people who are making the big changes don’t actually have any real student input, how do they know what impacts will come with the changes?” Putnam said.