Halton District School Board Student Trustees Shrena Sribalan and Sultan Alimzhanov have visited 11 schools to connect on a personal level and gain a better understanding of student voice across the HDSB. During these visits, Student Trustees deliver a presentation to students on what the Student Senate does and how to get involved, and chat with students about their diverse lived experiences.
Sribalan says she and Alimzhanov posed various questions to students, including “what they love about their schools, what they're looking to see change and key issues that exist within their school as well as across the HDSB.”
Sribalan says the takeaways from these conversations will be included in the Student Trustee Outreach Report, which consists of specific school-based findings as well as holistic recommendations to the board from various student voices. Sribalan says the report will be shared with principals, Student Senate, student councils and senior staff prior to next school year.
Alimzhanov believes it is important for Student Trustees to interact face-to-face with the students they represent. “Although we do our best to garner student voice through the Student Senate and Junior Council, interactions with students directly in their schools allows for more direct feedback about educational experiences, challenges and suggestions for improvements to schools that we as Student Trustees can advocate for."
Alimzhanov hopes that these visits will help students develop a stronger sense of connection and trust with the Student Trustees. “We want to make sure that students know that they have a representative at the board table, and they can feel comfortable reaching out with their ideas and concerns. Through our visits we want to raise awareness of student advocacy positions within the HDSB and inspire students to take on leadership roles and become more involved in their school communities."
This year was the first that HDSB Student Trustees visited elementary schools. Both Student Trustees would like to thank the staff and students at each school they visited for the hospitality, accommodations and privilege they extended in facilitating these visits to their schools.
