Decisions are made for our schools all the time, but they are mostly made by the county’s department of education. At the start of the semester, central office contacted some schools across Hamilton County to meet with the superintendent for the Superintendent Youth Summit. This event was run by the non-profit organization, Students Taking a Right Stand (STARS) in hopes of improving schools across the county.

Teachers were told to elect individuals who they felt demonstrated leadership and the ability to speak well publically. A couple of students were chosen for each grade and they went on to give ideas about how to improve the school.

They met at the South Chattanooga Recreation Center, where they discussed the positives and negatives about their schools.

“We sat in a gym with tables, each designated for a different school. First, we did some ice-breakers and after that we wrote down the positives of our schools then the negatives,” explained Sophomore DayOnna Carson, a student elected for this trip. “We also wrote down ways we could improve the school.”

The students representing Central were there as the third and final group of schools. Other high schools in attendance included Soddy Daisy, Sale Creek, Brained, Sequoyah, Ivy Academy, and Hamilton County.

They listed ways they could improve the school, such as advisory/directed studies everyday in addition to a hotline that could help students with educational and personal problems.

The hotline was the most focused on and something they are really wanting to have for the school. This idea could help students, especially underclassmen, with school struggles.

The idea for it was for the selected students to have a message board that would identify them. They also planned on using Snapchat or another social media, where students could contact them and ask questions they would not ask in person. That way they feel free to talk about their questions or problems.

“I think that’s a very good idea in case someone needs to vent or get something off their mind. Or even if someone just had questions to ask or just wanted to talk, ” said sophomore Abby Young.

All-in-all the hope is to help schools in any way possible.