Lexington (MA) High School Senate

LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-FACULTY SENATE

2002-2003

Moderator Muhammad Dhanani, Assistant Moderator Lawrence J. David, Secretary J.T. Scarry

<http://lhs.lexingtonma.org/senate>

Agenda

For the October 17, 2002 meeting

1. Announcements

2. Committee Reports

3. Freshman Orientation

4. Informal Discussion of Override Issue

5. Meet in Committees

Minutes

>From the October 10, 2002 meeting:

Quorum reached at 7:49 AM.

Richardson: I am quoted as saying "have to", but I feel that I really said "would". Also, the specific statement that Senator Inouye made to which I was replying is not included in the minutes.

[Minutes are amended]

Kafrissen: While the minutes have been amended more this year than in the past, it is more important because now the faculty is receiving the minutes by email.

[Amended Minutes Approved, 7:53]

[Agenda Approved, 7:53]

Announcements

Vachani: Last year I was to selected to attend the School Council and make reports to the Senate. The School Council met, and discussed posters and graduation requirements. The School Council is the highest body of power under the School Committee. The specific issue that we discussed was a poster addressing issues pertaining to the war on Iraq; how far can political activism be allowed to go? The Senate Bill regulating this discusses where posters can go, not allowable content. Pertaining to Graduation Requirements, Seasholes thinks that we have moved too quickly towards concrete proposals; he wishes that we would discuss the ideas behind the requirements.

Girondel: Shang Chen is here today. She and Allison Burson are the school representatives to the state Board of Education. She is here to understand the concerns of the students and take them to the Board of Education.

Dhanani: Please describe what you do.

Shang Chen: I am on the Boston student advisory council. We at LHS elect two students to go to the regional organization, and there we elect representatives to take our concerns to the state level. We discuss school climate issues, such as various privileges like open campus that are not available at many other schools; some schools do not have a GSA; some schools have no voice for students on the school committee. There are three parts. There is a legislative committee that writes bill to be forwarded to the state Advisory Council, which revises them and sends them further up; for example, we are working to oppose Question Two. I am on the outreach committee, which works to have more people know what we are about, and has exchanges with other high schools.

Dhanani: In addition, we have a few members of the Guidance Department here today.

Committee Reports

Rehman: Oversight met and discussed with Atin Garg to discuss rules and regulations. Many students and faculty do not even know that the Board of Appeals exists and is an option. Even disciplinary action is under its auspices. We must spread the news. It is an option for students. He will help us do so.

Girondel: Elections Committee is in complete control of the elections. Please give your free blocks to showing up and working the polls. Particularly critical are the lunchblocks, when the polls are very busy.

Shield: The Communications Committee has had pitiful attendance. We are spreading the word on the availability of seats and on the occurrence of Senate.

Vachani: Social Action has discussed guidance points.

Scarry: Communications has also recruited some people for the Condom Committee, although we need Senators to join.

Kafrissen: Policy has looked at bills to return the grade grid. It is nothing definite, but we have been approached. Also, we have discussed the role of the school council.

Informal Discussion of Course Distribution Requirements

Inouye: I think that what I wanted to say last week was overshadowed; the discussion degenerated into various people saying 'I like science' or 'I don't like science' but this issue is not about which subjects are better than others; I think that we should just talk about reducing requirements as a whole. When the Interim Science Head was here, she didn't answer why there are classes every day, but I talked to her later and she said that it just takes longer to get things done in science classes; this is another issue that needs to be explored.

Enders: I pass.

Halperin: There are some classes that everyone should take: world history, algebra, and the like. Also, everyone should get a nicely rounded education, so if we are going to reduce the requirements, why focus on certain subjects over others? I do not see that four years of courses is more important in History than in Science. Except for English, I see no reason to not take off all fourth year requirements. People going to college will take a good distribution of classes anyway.

Vachani: I pass.

Richardson: I pass.

Shield: I motion to end discussion.

[Seconded]

Shield: We have the suggestions now, it no longer makes sense to keep this in Informal Discussion.

[Motion fails by voice vote]

Kafrissen: We are not ending discussion permanently, but we must come out of Informal Discussion. We need to have a plan; we need to send this to a committee, standing or ad hoc, which needs to come up with recommendations. This train is leaving the station. A good number of faculty and the administration are looking to change these requirements, and the only way for the students to have input is to act. The committee must, however, have specific instructions.

David: I met informally with Seasholes, and he was stunned that we had made a list already. His statement was, in essence, that we might not be asking the right questions, not in the nitty gritty details but in whether we want to change the requirements, what our mission as a school is, and what our aim is. Are we a pressure cooker? Do we want to be the school that sends the most students to Harvard? He is hoping that we will discuss this issue as pertains to graduation requirements. Keep that in mind.

Finnegan: Let us look at the greater philosophical question; what is the education for students to receive? Allowing for specific areas of concentration is feasible; I remember one of my joys in high school was that I had taken three years of math. We should try to tailor needs to the educational destination.

Allison Burson: May I make motions?

[Negative Response from the Chair]

Zagaeski: In response to Inouye, vis à vis the time requirement for science; if you want to have a lab based science course, it takes longer than a reading or writing based class. Reading and writing can occur out of class, but labs can only occur in class. If it is not a mickey mouse lab, where the answer is obvious, labs take quite a while.

Catsouphes: I pass.

Halperin: We are not yet ready to move out of discussion. Looking at the list, many of our ideas are contradictory.

Bogart: Finnegan took the words right out of my mouth, we need to invite the student body in and get their input.

Richardson: Even a pressure cooker has a release valve. It is nice that we have a good high school, but I am not sure that Einstein would have made it through here. Would many of our great statesmen have survived in such a linear environment.

Phillips: Does anyone know the attitude of the administration on this topic?

Dhanani: I do not know how the School Committee or Council feels, but I know that Seasholes is very gung ho on the topic.

Burson: The School Committee has not gotten involved.

Vachani: I know that every single member of the School Council is very excited to hear what the Senate thinks. They are happy to hear what happens.

Williams: I have in mind reasons to change the way things are. The second rate reason is to give those doing well flexibility and control of their courses. Yet the biggest concern of the Senate must be the other end of he spectrum, where people are struggling to meet the requirements. We need to restore balance to the requirements. We only look at the four requirements, we should reduce them to three years. On student who transferred here might not graduate because our requirements are so much stricter than his old school's. I would argue the same for the other four major subjects.

Shield: Similarly to Williams, I think that there should be no senior requirements. Many colleges have done that. They have a high regard for their students. Not just taking twenty five or so classes, without restrictions they can emphasize what they like the most.

Catsouphes: An open forum is really desirable. Would communications do that?

Scarry: I am not confident in Communications' ability to perform such a task in a timely manner.

Kafrissen: We cannot make motions except to end the Informal Discussion.

Inouye: I move to end Informal Discussion.

[Motion passes]

Finnegan: I move that we make an ad hoc committee to work with standing committees to set up an open forum.

[Motion passes]

Bogart: A suggestion for the committee is to consider inviting parents.

Burson: A PTA meeting is planned.

Inouye: How will this forum be created?

David: Seasholes has had one parent summit and another is planned. We should leave out parents on this go around.

Wong: Motion to end discussion.

[Motion passes]

[Volunteers taken for ad hoc committee]

[Senate adjourns with the bell]

List of Senators Absent from the September 12, 2002 Meeting

Senator Coughlin

Senator Law