Monday, September 23rd, 2013: 6 PM Meeting
Agenda
I.
II.
III.
IV.
At Large Elections
Extra Executive Nominations and other position nominations
Gigi Klipa’s “Bridges to Partnership” presentation
Jack’s Budget Talk
V.
VI.
(If we have time)
Forming of Committees – info and signups
Proposals Currently on Table
Casey: welcome back, thanks for coming out, some faces missing....current council members
raise hands, can everyone introduce themselves....
We’re gonna start with at large elections then Gigi and jack have presentations and if there’s
time we’ll form committees, we’re gonna try to close meeting close to 8 as possible. Here’s how
this is going to go; all at large candidates will be in hallway until it’s time to come in...Just
patiently wait...the first candidate can come up and give speech here, we’ll have a quick moment
after for questions and then go in hallway and bring in next person
Jonah: how many people can we vote for? (10)
Regina: please add nick tabor and lily Hobbs to the list
Casey: is Alex Flanders here? Does anyone have a copy of his speech we’ll save it for last....Liz,
you can go first
(Liz Purvis’ Speech)
Casey: any questions for Liz?
Paul: did you run in the general election (yes)
Natalie: do you have any other extracurriculars? (try out for granite state challenge team and I do
martial arts)
(Michael Rocco’s Speech)
Casey: Any questions?
Claire: what initially interested you in council? (Fascinated by everything science politics and I
love discussions, any kind, especially important ones and this gives me a chance to actually do
something about my beliefs)
Paul: did you run in the general election? (No) do you think that you represent a different group
of people than the one that got elected? (I think I represent any group of people, no matter what
they have)
Jonah: any extracurriculars? (I can commit, I made sure I have time even with my other
commitments)
Lisa: any ideas yet to bring to the table? (I’m new to this school so I don’t know much about
what would be put into effect so hopefully I’ll learn that and then have ideas)
(Madeleine Boyea’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Natalie: what interested you in being on council? (Its cool that kids can be on it and have a
voice)
Paul: did you do student gov’t in middle school? (AMS no, but when I lived in New Jersey, yes)
Melissa Chapman: you were in the general elections? (Yes)
Claire: what do you have to bring to the table? (I see the big picture can represent a lot of people)
(Shannon Earley’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Jane: do you have activities? (XC, Nordic, track) can you commit to this (yes)
Paul: were you in student gov’t in AMS? (No) why do you want to be involved now? (I want to
be part of the community here and make a difference now that I have more opportunities)
(Shawn Latulippe’s Speech)
Casey: Any Questions?
Jonah: you said that you’re very determined to have your voice be heard...will you be able to
communicate for your grade as well? (I know a wide variety of people so yes)
Natalie: Are you in any extracurriculars? (Cheer, spring musical, lacrosse – I’d always set aside
time for CC that’d come first)
Lisa: how will you represent a certain part of the population? Better than the guys? (Some issues
seem to lean towards one gender....there may be things that have more of an effect on girls so it’s
important to have their opinions)
Paul: were you involved in student gov’t at AMS? (No, I thought it would take up too much
time, I didn’t think I would win. But now I really want this)
(Olivia Mullens’ Speech)
Casey: Any questions?
Christine Redd: I’m new this year, so in the 4 years you’ve listened, is there any proposal that
struck you and what you thought about community council? (Paper towel proposal)
Natalie: are you in any extracurriculars? (field hockey basketball lacrosse some clubs maybe)
Paul: do you think you represent a different group of people than the ones that got elected (I’m
open to anyone in my grade and I hope they’d all be able to communicate with me and I want
that to happen)
(Megan Ostrowski’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Foster: any extracurriculars (dancer, volleyball, teen job bank, odd end community stuff)
Will: why weren’t you reelected this year? (There were 10 people running for 5 so I just wasn’t
one of them)
Lisa: what was a proposal you enjoyed (8 period day)
Mitch: what sort of rep were you last year (grade rep)
(Sam Bannon’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Leslie: any issues this year that you’d like to address (not yet, I think there definitely will be, I
have a lot of up and coming ideas from me and others)
Foster: did you run in general election? (No)
Tony: toughest most interesting part last year (wasn’t sure how serious it was and how it would
work and stuff like 8 period day proposal showed me how influential council actually is)
(Jonathan Kempf’s Speech)
Paul: what issues did you like last year? (scheduling proposal, good discussion)
Claire: what qualities can you bring to the table? (bring a lot of thought to each proposal)
Jack: would you be comfortable enough to speak up more this year? (yes for sure)
Nan: I congratulate you for coming in without your speech in hand that’s very nice to see
(Lauren McCormick’s Speech)
Casey: Any questions?
Paul: what about other issues in the past that might have affected you (not having skits in fang
fest – hearing everyone talk and have opinions impacted me, also my brother was a part of CC
for four years and he talked a lot about the Decile system proposal which affected me and my
family as well)
(Drew Prescott’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Leslie: any issues that are important for this year? (We passed 8 period proposal and we may talk
about how that was working, that’s important to review)
Lisa: did you run in the general elections ever? (No always at large) Why not? (I don’t like
speaking in front of big groups of people; I like the idea of at large elections better as well)
Paul: we have the AP proposal on the table? Is that interesting to you (yeah I think that’s
interesting, I personally feel that at the point that the country is I don’t think it makes sense to get
rid of. It wouldn’t be best for our school)
(Tina Huang’s Speech)
Peter: Any other conflicts? (Jazz band, but I know on Mondays I have council so it’s not in the
way)
Christine: how would you immerse yourself in younger parts of school as a senior? (With
extracurriculars I get to know people at every age in a good environment)
Rick: what did you learn from the survey in cafeteria? (Did a big survey, I expected to see
comments about price but there were also other really interesting things)
Mason: did you run for general elections? (No)
Paul: what important issues for this year (I really like the AP proposal, it still comes up a lot and
we need to keep that going now that there’s a lot of interest in it, there’s some interesting ideas
behind it)
(Kailey Kane’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Jack: how were you elected each year? (9th grade rep, at large past 2 years)
Leslie: did you run general elections this year? (No, I like at large better)
Mitch: why do you like at large? (I like representing the community as a whole)
Leslie: any proposals last year that caught your interest? (8 period day, also the AP proposals are
both very interesting)
Lisa: what strengths do you bring to council? (Try to be as objective as possible, listen to all
points of view, its important to represent community as a whole)
(Tim Kearney’s Speech)
Casey: any questions?
Foster: can you extend on varsity letter counting as gym class? (I don’t know exactly how it
would work per say with state laws but if you earn a varsity letter for a sport you put in a lot of
time and effort for that letter and they would be able to get more out of classes instead of playing
racquetball)
Jane: have you ever run before (no but I just want to make improvements now as a team)
Mary-Lou: what groups do you think you represent? (I’ve played football all 4 years, that’s why
I focus on gym credits because of what has happened to me and other people I know)
Lisa: is there another student group that you represent? (I think I would, people that care about
SHS and education, they don’t have to do sports and stuff – I want to be a teacher when I grow
up, education is very important to me)
(Sarah Hurd's speech)
Casey: any questions?
Paul: what issues should we discuss this year (I think AP proposal is important...it would that
would enable us to focus on depth instead of breadth which I think is important for our school)
Christine: last year, did you have a way to reach underclassmen as well? (I run track with every
grade so I know people through that as well as other things I do)
Lisa: how do you describe your style of leadership (more reserved, but if I see something wrong
or believe in something, I’ll fight for it)
(Nick Tabor’s Speech)
Casey: Questions?
Leslie: any issues last year that you found particularly interesting? (HW over vacation, was very
interesting I like it a lot – also the 8 period schedule, I was iffy but I think now that it was a good
choice)
Paul: do you represent a different group? (I worked hard to communicate with my whole grade to
get their opinions heard)
(Lily Hobbs’ Speech)
Mitch: what was your proposal idea? (Offering drivers Ed as an elective)
Foster: any extracurriculars? (Yes but not on Mondays so I’m here for council)
Melissa: what committees were you on? (Cafeteria, semi)
Christine: how can you communicate with other grades? (I’m an open and approachable person
and I have connections with all the grades and community)
Casey: I have to now read a few speeches of people who aren’t here tonight but I will read them
and we won’t be able to ask them questions but we can say a few words if you know the person
I’ll start with Danny Tiso
August: Danny takes this very seriously and is really into it, he has kept talking to me about it
already
Foster: quite the character, very enjoyable to be around – new sense of energy to council
Will: in my personal finance class, everyday talks about how he wants to be on CC especially
with paper towels
Jack: he took the initiative last year and that was impressive
Casey: next is Alex Flanders...
August: he’s been a year younger than me since Mont Vernon, pretty nice, smart, and very
talkative
Claire: I know him from Mont Vernon he puts in 100% effort with anything he does
Casey: last is James Kibbie...
Claire: in my class since kindergarten, he puts in so much effort especially when it comes to this
kind of stuff; everything in his speech is 100% true. Really dedicated
Jane: I have talked a little with his mom, he really wants to be here, he’s very passionate about it,
and he’s a money maker too so we could use that right now, he has a lot of schemes haha
August: I’ve known him for a long time, very passionate, shares opinions, follows through, smart
and nice, started his own business over the summer and has done a good job with it to earn
money
Tony: he’s a really good kid and works really hard
Regina: would we like to speak on behalf of any of the candidates, take a few minutes to say
what we know about them
Casey: let’s keep it all positive, here’s a good opportunity to tell you about the speaker’s list
system (etc.)
Jack: my grade they’ve all been on council for many years there a great group of reps and have a
lot of intelligent things to say
Foster: my older bro is a good friend with drew, he’s a captain on 3 teams, he’s the all-around
ideal student, model student he’s a good kid
Will: Liz Purvis – really friendly, talks to everyone, and listens to all opinions
Natalie: Maddie and Olivia, on FH with them they’re really out going and would definitely do a
good job representing a lot of people and really listening. They were disappointed for not getting
grade reps but I encouraged them to try. To Lauren, she’s friends with everyone she’s easy to
talk to, and is a natural leader
Tony: Maddie and Olivia are in my class, they were planning on recording their speeches to be
played if they couldn’t make it, and they won’t be intimidated by this. Lauren is a great leader, I
had her in class she was on varsity softball she’s great
Jonah: Tim Kearney...good of him to step up senor year especially with good and new opinions
and ideas for our school, he seems very proactive and a team player, positive impact on council
Matt: Mike Rocco – he likes to discuss a lot in a good way and he didn’t know anyone before
this year because of pine hill but he’s really put himself out there, he will talk to anybody
Claire: Sam bannon, really close friends since kindergarten, one of the smartest kids I know,
thinks about things in a really different and new way
Christine: I think we should consider a freshman female I think that’s important. Two girls that I
know would be good would be Liz Purvis and Olivia Mullens – very responsible, understand
what’s expected to them, also Lauren also does get to know everyone
Lisa: Megan – leads by example, took a lot of courage for her to run and then come here again,
also Tim Kearney and lily Hobbs they represent part of population that isn’t necessarily
represented here thy take this process really seriously
Rick: I’ve worked with Megan, Sam, Tina, they all have very different methods and strategies
for leadership, and Tina is an amazing young lady. Nick and lily I worked with on cafeteria
committee, they both think outside of the box and will speak their minds.
Paul: this is an opportunity to make sure we have all groups represented on council, fill that void.
Tim Kearney has never been on council and would represent a diff group. Megan didn’t go to
AMS and has a different view, Nick represents not normally elected group
Rosie: Maddie Boyea she moved here 2 years ago and she’s friends with everyone and she’s the
nicest girl and is a natural born leader
Nan: I’m so impressed with all of you and so happy to be back and I wish I could vote for
everybody. I’d like to see the balance a little better of boys and girls. Also it’s important to call
attention to people who will represent a different group of people.
Mason: Mike Rocco – lots of classes with him he shares his ideas and would have good ones for
council
Casey: now we’ll take a 5 minute break to count votes
New Members: Liz Purvis, Madeleine Boyea, Megan Ostrowski, Lauren McCormick, drew p,
Tina, Kailey, Tim, nick tabor, lily Hobbs
Casey: thanks everyone for coming out, even if you’re not a member please remember you can
share your opinion
First order of business, a presentation from Gigi...
Gigi: I had the great opportunity to see a group of students 3 years ago at a conference and these
students ran a conference on their own to talk about school transformation...what will schools
look like in the next 10 or 20 years. Their work focused a lot on the work you do, a lot of stuff in
Vermont, survey on relationships, relevance, rigor, responsibility. Our school already has a lot of
these things. One of the places where we could benefit instruction is the curricular piece. I would
love to call on a sub-committee of community council to have laid out presentation to student
voice on the issues that pertain to them. Access to direct student voice, not that you need to make
all the decisions but sometimes we don’t know and your info is important, these students in
Vermont have created this survey and decide what to do based on this. I’d like to take 4 students
and 1 or 2 other adults besides myself to this conference that’s happening on October 9th. I see
this as ongoing work so I would like to have 2 of those students be under classmen so it can
continue to grow and have it fostered throughout the years if we continue to work with it. What I
propose is if it’s okay with the council, to have people contact me (gklipa@sprise.com) if you
would have an interest in doing this work. I’d need you to be able to attend the October 9th and
then afterwards we could have more people to move it forward. I see it as an extension of the
work you already do.
Casey: any clarifying questions?
Lisa: do people have to pay their own 30 fee?
Gigi: I’m working on getting around that
Casey: if anyone is interested, please contact her, if anyone who isn’t on council in your grade
who you think a good fit let them know about it
Joanne: what’s your deadline?
Gigi: I’d need to know by Thursday at the very latest Friday of this week (26th, 27th)
Christine: what are your plans for after the conference?
Gigi: hopefully, get some ideas from the conference, there’s usually training that comes along
with it, my goal would be to come back after and re-present to the council to talk about what it
will look like when students have a voice on curriculum and instruction
Casey: this Friday, we will be having a community council retreat to kick off the year with some
training and such
Regina: the retreat was a full day last year but it’s a half day this year, periods 1-4 (7:30-11:15)
for training, we’ve asked Peter Warburton to come speak with you and other admin members and
we also need to know how many new folks we have so we can get you CC binders
Regular council meeting 2:15 next Monday
Meeting adjourned