The Dolores School Board held its annual linkage event last Thursday afternoon.
“Linkage” is a time for students to speak with the board in a casual setting, on their own turf.
The board met with elementary students first. Their main concern was the food served at school. They wanted more access to salad, specifically, but other types of healthy options as well.
The board then met with a group of juniors and seniors who formed a group on Tuesday after a fight video went viral from their school.
The group decided to call themselves the, “I was now I am outreach program” after meeting with the school board, according to member of the group, Tel Hamilton.
The students want to change the culture in their school by developing an outreach program for kids to share concerns, but also positives throughout their day.
“There is a culture that it is not cool to be a nice person, and we want to change that,” Hamilton told the board. “There is nothing wrong with checking on someone even if you do not know them.”
Hamilton also told the board that he wants them to be more familiar with students and vice versa.
Board president Dee Prock told the students that she couldn’t wait to see what would come of their initiative.
The board also met with students from the seventh grade who wanted to get a school newspaper started again. The students said that no one pays enough attention to the emails, and they think a publication would be a better option.
The same group of students were also concerned with student behavior, saying that a few kids can disrupt an entire class.
The board discussed those issues with the seventh-graders at length, taking into consideration what they could change.
“From every group that comes in, we try to apply one thing that is requested and make them feel listened to,” said Prock.