Albert Einstein once said,
”
Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe.
But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all
causes
– goodwill among men and peace on earth.
”
One of the best parts of my job is watching our students do
exceptional things in classrooms, in our theaters, in our gyms and
on our athletic fields, and throughout our community. Sometimes I
even get to witness students raising their voices in an attempt to
promote peace and change the world.
Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.”
One of the best parts of my job is watching our students do exceptional things in classrooms, in our theaters, in our gyms and on our athletic fields, and throughout our community. Sometimes I even get to witness students raising their voices in an attempt to promote peace and change the world.
This year, students at Live Oak High School have decided to raise their voices. They grew weary of outsiders erroneously telling their story and painting all Live Oak students with broad dehumanizing strokes; so, they decided to tell their own story.
Fifteen student leaders began meeting Thursdays at lunch to discuss campus climate and brainstorm ideas for encouraging campus-wide conversations that would bring people together and give a voice to those students who had been silenced by status, lack of access, or exclusionary traditions.
The student leaders represent the diversity found on the Live Oak campus – they are ASB officers, MEChA officers, athletes, artists, performers and even a published author.
At the first meeting, students had no idea how often they would meet and how successfully they could continue what they had started. Students recall that the first meeting was very quiet. Students were apprehensive to speak let alone share their ideas. One student shared with me, “Our first meeting was a microcosm of what we were trying to accomplish. We had to help students from different social groups feel comfortable and safe enough to share their opinions and ideas.”
The students decided to meet once a week for the entire school year with their first year goals being: to create an identity – decide on a name, create a motto and define their purpose; raise awareness on campus; and engage the entire campus in their “conversations” activities.
They named their group “Student Voices” and they set out to accomplish their goals. As they continued to meet, students recognized that as students in the group felt safer, they became more vocal.
One student laughed and shared, “Now students not only share their opinions, they volunteer them without solicitation.” Students in the group also noticed that feeling safe allowed them to step out of their comfort zones and truly get to know one another, and what they learned is that they have a lot in common.
One student insisted, “We realized that we are much more alike than different.” I asked her to clarify that statement and she explained, “We are all people who worry about school work, who want to be accepted, who have common interests and who have parents that complain about our generation.”
Celebrating their common interests while valuing individuality resonated with the students as they worked on their motto.
The students decided that the Live Oak tree would be their symbol and their motto would be “United at the roots, we are all different branches of the same tree.” Their new logo also includes the following words that represent the values of the group and, as they demand, the values of Live Oak High School: diversity, ambition, pride, creativity, uniqueness, acceptance, honesty, integrity, compassion, respect, vision. Student Voices members have had the logo printed on T-shirts and they are having a large mural of their logo painted on a campus wall.
Student Voices leaders have invited freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors to participate in the club to ensure that their work will endure once the current seniors graduate.
With graduation so near, I asked the seniors what they would want their legacy at Live Oak to be. One student answered, “I would like to look back and see a year of peaceful, conflict-free activities with more students participating.” Another student added, “I would like to see a broader sense of inclusion on campus and I would like to think we inspired greater participation by our classmates.”
My mother used to jokingly say, “Children are to be seen, not heard.” I could not disagree more.
Now more than ever we should listen to our Student Voices and learn from their example of inclusion and respect. Perhaps our State leaders should visit Live Oak High School and see what is possible when people from different backgrounds with different interests work together in a mutually respectful environment.
Wes Smith is the superintendent of Morgan Hill Unified School District. He lives in Morgan Hill with his wife and three children, who attend Morgan Hill schools.
