SoHi hosts District wide student government workshop
Student leaders from across the District meet at SoHi to discuss issues confronting them.
Student leaders from across the Kenai Peninsula School District gathered at Soldotna High School last week to share ideas and hear about issues confronting them and their classmates in the coming school year. According to SoHi student government advisor and BP Teacher of Excellence recipient Michael Druce, the district-wide student government meeting is an annual event designed to facilitate camaraderie and unity among students within the district.
The annual meeting is held in September on a rotational basis at district high schools. The event features speakers and workshops designed to assist students with the challenges of student leadership in their schools. Three elected positions were also voted on by the students and elected to serve were: Hannah Watkins of Kenai Central High School on the Reconsideration of Instructional materials committee, Nate Gallagher of SoHi for the Calendar Committee and Lydia Ames of SoHi was elected to serve as the School Board Advisory Representative.
“This really is leadership training that offers students from across the district to discuss what they can do to improve their schools, whether it’s homecoming, dances, or community service projects, it gives them the chance to meet face to face and put their ideas into action,” said Druce. In his teaching experience Druce believes that students today want to be challenged and are looking for sincerity and genuineness from their educators, “If the standards are high and the student believes that the teacher believes in what they are doing then the student will respect the educators that challenge them and push them even more sometimes then they want to be pushed but ultimately respect those that do,” said Druce. Druce says that being selected as a BP Teacher of Excellence was an honor but most meaningful because he was nominated by a former student, “It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers, but even more so to be recognized by a former student who takes their time to make the nomination,” said Druce. Last fall Druce was nominated by another former student Jenna Pitts as a Merrill Scholar at the University of Maryland.