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HS Student Advisory Council

The Board has directed the Administration to form a Student Advisory Council at Lower Dauphin High School to discuss the climate and culture in the school and find ways to make everyone feel safe, respected, and able to learn. This is serious work.

The District recognizes that its students are the experts on our school climate. And the District needs their help to ensure that everyone feels like they belong.

The High School Student Advisory Council will meet with the Administration and the District's consultant, Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, the founder and chief visionary officer of Natural Inclination LLC, to discuss the school's climate and how it can be improved. They plan to meet frequently to hear the students' voices and get their input on any proposed solutions.

The first High School Student Advisory Council meetings will take place on Monday, May 22, in the morning. Due to the high number of respondents (134), it was decided that three separate, 45-minute groups would be the best way to facilitate engagement and connectedness.

SAC surveys were sent to each interested student’s Canvas pages on May 10, 2023, and May 11, 2023. Dr. Sessoms created surveys for both SACs to gain anonymous insights from students to identify their school strengths, opportunities for growth, alignment with aspirations, and the results they wish to see.

  • The survey results were analyzed prior to the May meetings into a SOAR analysis to facilitate collaborative problem-identification and solution-building centered on student voice.
  • Additional survey questions focussed on identifying positive student-staff relationships, student core values, and the personal strengths they will bring to the SAC
  • Respondents were also asked to include the elementary school they attended to help ensure the SACs are representative of each region.

At the first meeting in May, Dr. Sessoms reviewed the students' SOAR Analysis and shared a  PowerPoint presentation to facilitate discussions with the group. 

Subsequent meetings will occur twice per month during the 2023-2024 school year.