The Value of Student Voices and Where It Matters Most at Our School

Walter McKenzie
Jul 2
7 min read

Cynthia Jacquet is a Worthy Educator, a leader in advocating for student voice in schools, and our July Leader of the month.

She is Assistant Principal at Sierra High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she is an active proponent for her students being actively involved in their education, working with their families and the community to help make it happen.

Every school is founded on a story and grows by retelling that story through policies and practices; what is valued and devalued. In the same way, every student crosses the school’s threshold with their own unique and defining story. The story grows as the child evolves from one experience to the next. Do we make space for these individual stories without asking for compromise or sacrifice to fit in the mold of the school’s story? As an educator, when you walk down the halls of your school, do you see evidence of student stories, their voices resounding and demanding attention? Those questions rattled through my brain as a novice assistant principal. I realized that student stories and culture did not permeate the halls, were not always reflected on the walls, and were not part of our vernacular. Two years later, student voice is embedded into the fabric of who we are and how we navigate the world. Students are active stakeholders in decision-making processes, peer and staff leadership opportunities, and advocacy efforts that directly impact their peers and the school community.

Our school district had a Superintendent’s student advisory council made up of student members from our high schools. We wanted to mirror this structure on a school-level basis, including all grade levels and a representative from EVERY student population. “You want me for this? Please call my mom and tell her you want me for this group,” spoken by an artistically gifted male student who is also in the special education program. He became an integral member of the inaugural cohort of the Principal’s Student Advisory Council. At the first meeting, council members were placed in small groups to brainstorm areas of concern. Each group then shared its list with the full Council. This created opportunities for stories. A major challenge identified in this exercise was that students often wandered the halls and then, upon being escorted back to class, persisted in being disruptive. One student proposed that we needed harsher discipline because these students “were getting away with doing nothing and then rewarded with chips.” (Admins who intercepted wandering students would often counsel them before escorting them to class and might offer a snack as an incentive or peace gesture.) The artistic student responded with, “You don’t know what that student is going through. I was a bad student my freshmen year, home was bad too”. He admitted that he was that student and that he needed understanding more than discipline, especially if food is scarce in the home, a surprisingly common situation with the student population at this particular school. The first student had only a single story, a one-dimensional view of disruptive students, but now there was another story, a richer understanding of why a given student might have difficulty staying in class. The conversation shifted from purely punitive to more empathetic solutions as the group incorporated more stories into their perception of the problem. As more stories were woven into the narrative, student voices became louder and clearer, and everyone – students and faculty alike – learned something.

In the academic arena, my high school incubated just three National Honor Society (NHS) students during my first year. I learned that there were almost certainly more eligible students, but that access and accommodation were keeping them out of the program. Realigning our school’s application criteria with the core NHS standards - while broadening how we support students in demonstrating those qualifications - created an explosive turning point. We pinpointed eligible students by putting more emphasis on GPA and behavioral history and less on leadership and service. Quite a few of the identified students worked part-time, cared for siblings, and/or lacked transportation outside of regular school hours. A handful of potential members were new English or limited English learners. Students were concerned that they did not have leadership experience and did not know how to meet that requirement. We now provide English and Spanish translated opportunities for our students and the ability to complete service hours during school hours through NHS sponsored events. We created a Library Advisory Council to provide space and diverse resources to support all students: STEM exploration, sensory meditation, and language translations of many books. In a new Student Ambassador program, student volunteers provide school tours and a peer contact for new students, especially students who speak Spanish as their first language. Our school’s National Honor Society chapter also collaborates with the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) to include our school as a pickup and drop-off site for the PPLD Book Mobile. A subgroup of NHS members is creating a Library Podcast to discuss cultural trends and how this shows up in literature. Learning to see that potential NHS members have multiple stories is working: this past year, we inducted 32 National Honor Society members, a tenfold increase.

Where does student voice live in your building, and what would it look like if it didn’t just visit, but governed?

Student advocacy made tremendous advancement as we trained sixteen Peer Mediators as restorative justice (RJ) practitioners in the summer of 2024; they completed a 2-day training program and earned a certificate of completion. These students took their experience back to the school to facilitate restorative circles between disputing students. They also provided RJ training in a session with staff members: the Peer Mediators facilitated interactions between staff members who were role playing different conflicts. The summer of 2025, nominees from the sophomore and junior classes participated in the second cohort RJ training. Nominees were selected holistically and not merely on the basis of GPA and attendance. Students selected were known to speak a second language, had demonstrated an ability to move through different student populations with ease, and had demonstrated budding leadership skills. This new cohort will mentor identified 8^th grade students from our feeder middle school and 9^th graders who need peer support to navigate the first years of high school. These students lead by example, resolving conflict and fostering community through empathy and accountability.

Here are other areas where student voices are making the biggest impact at our school:

Leadership and Advisory Opportunities

Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council
Students work alongside the district’s top leaders, offering insight and feedback that influences decisions at a district-wide level.
Student Board of Education Member
These students represent our diverse population and bring student perspectives directly into the decision-making process.
Student-Led Conferences
Instead of parent-teacher conferences, students take the lead in presenting their progress, goals, and growth to their families and teachers.

Academics and College/Career Pathways

Stroud Scholars Program at Colorado College
A program supporting students on their path to college through academic enrichment and leadership development. Increased the number and diversity of students applying for a coveted position.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
Students in CTE programs are taking charge of their learning through hands-on, career-focused experiences.
Capstone Graduation Pathways - Pending implementation
These projects, designed by students in consultation with graduation advisors, allow students to explore topics they care about deeply and demonstrate their learning in real, meaningful ways.

Equity, Inclusion, and Representation

Collaboration with community non-profit Educating Children of Color, Inc Students are recruited as Leadership Academy ambassadors and receive leadership training and college and career readiness training during the academic school year. They use this platform to advocate for equity, justice, and greater access to educational opportunities.
Student created “Student Panels” at New Staff Institute, Staff Meetings, presentations at Educating Children of Color Annual Summit Conference, and Colorado Association of School Boards.
Black Student Union, Hispanic Heritage Club, Filipino Culture Club, and Pride Club
These groups foster a sense of belonging and celebrate cultural identity while promoting unity across campus.
Student Council
Elected student leaders plan events, raise school spirit, and serve as the voice of the student body. Student Council actively recruits students from different student populations, especially representatives from our Spanish speaking population.
Art Installation The last two years, graduating seniors completed a wall mural and added their handprints as their legacy. A student from the special education department was commissioned to create a wall mural with our school mascot and the Rocky Mountain backdrop in the cafeteria. He wants this to be his legacy that anyone can make it.

Community Building and Student Well-being

Teacher Feedback Surveys
These surveys are a chance for students to share honest feedback on instruction, helping teachers grow and adapt to student needs.

Celebrating Culture and Student Creativity

Student-Driven Culture Night
One of our most anticipated events entirely organized and led by students to celebrate the many cultures and backgrounds that make up our school. Dancing, food, flags, and activities from various cultures are shared with pride.

Stories matter, and when there is only a single story, voices may not be heard correctly, or at all. Novelist and activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie presented a powerful Ted Talk on this topic at TedGlobal in 2009: “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story” (Adichie, 12:49). The response to this call to reject the single story is to accept student narratives - all of them - as a vital part of nurturing the whole child. When students are involved in shaping their own education, they feel more invested and confident. They learn that their voice has a place and power. They see their experiences and perspectives matter beyond the walls of the classroom. As our students continue to speak up and show up, they help create a school environment that reflects who they are and who they want to become.