This year, Middle Creek’s principal, Mrs. Peckham, formed the Student Advisory Committee. From putting a stronger emphasis on social emotional learning to bringing back pre-covid events such as pep rallies, the Student Advisory Committee works together to brainstorm ways to make improvements within the school with support from Mrs. Peckham and Mrs. Gillespie.
Forming a Student Advisory Committee is something that Mrs. Peckham has always wanted to do, even before her time at Middle Creek. She originally planned to start the committee during the 2020-2021 school year, but the pandemic interfered with those plans. Now that students are back in person and starting to return to a sense of normal, the time to establish the committee is finally here.
The Student Advisory Committee is currently made up of 25-30 students from a variety of grade levels, racial backgrounds, interests, and involvement in the school. They meet every quarter to provide Mrs. Peckham with guidance on how to make improvements to the school. The committee is a mixture of both students and Mrs. Peckham presenting their ideas to better the school. This year, the committee has discussed a wide range of topics. In the first quarter, the students gave their input and advice on how to utilize the school's budget. During the second quarter, they played a large role in Middle Creek's accreditation process. Finally, during the 3rd quarter, they gave direction for the school's new improvement plan that is written every two years.
Brock Herring, a senior at Middle Creek, says that when he was approached with the opportunity to join the committee, he knew he wanted to join it. "I knew I wanted to do it because I do a lot of extra stuff for the school and the feedback is important to express the opinions of my friends. Before I was in the committee, people around me and myself would say things like, ‘These aren't the best they could be.’ It's nice that I finally have a say and am potentially changing something for the better."
The Student Advisory Committee will have a new group of members every year to ensure the voices of all students are heard. If students are interested in joining the Student Advisory Committee in the near future, they should see Mrs. Gillespie in student services.
Mrs. Peckham hopes that this committee will be a way for students to feel connected to the school as well as add student voices to conversations on how to improve the school. "I hope to use this student group to check to see how we're doing and how we can improve." As Middle Creek celebrates its 20th anniversary, she hopes to get student feedback on Middle Creek traditions. She notes, "I hope to focus on the ones we started with and create new ones, getting feedback on some new traditions that we should maybe start and also traditions we don't lose."
Both the students and faculty are what make Middle Creek such a special place. As this committee and faculty work together to better the school for all, they'll leave a long-lasting legacy at Middle Creek for future classes to remember.