Student-ASB communication should be more open and available

Dear ASB officers-elect,

First off, I’d like to congratulate all of you for your election to next year’s ASB team. You’ve worked very hard throughout high school to get where you’ve gotten. Enjoy the feeling of victory now, you’ve earned it.

I know it’s not my place to tell you how exactly to do your jobs as ASB officers—for that, you’re blessed with many examples of good ASB teams, including the one that is to leave us in June. In fact, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know anything about being an ASB officer. For that matter, I don’t even know much about what ASB does.

And that’s the root cause of the problem.

As far as I’ve observed, at MVHS, there are two distinct types of students. The first group consists of the “spirited” students, those who actively attend the rallies, fundraisers, and lunchtime events organized by ASB. The second group consists of people like me, people who seem not to care about their school, just because attending events would compromise something we find more important. In actuality, we care deeply for MVHS, just not enough to put everything else on the back burner. That’s something ASB should take into account when planning next year’s events.

The key to generating greater interest in the student body as a whole is finding small ways to get everybody involved—small doesn’t mean lunchtime spectator events that take up 45 minutes. What somebody like me, someone who just doesn’t have the time to show that they care, would really appreciate is a way to be involved without having to leave their desk. Online opinion polls and forums are great ways to accomplish this. By simply answering a poll, or posting on a forum, any student could become more informed and more involved in their school community in a matter of minutes.

If MVHS is to be a truly democratic community, then there needs to be some way of measuring how well the student body responds to events or other actions by ASB. Opinion polling and prominent student forums are quick, easy ways to provide that vital connection between the students and the ASB team. Frankly, that connection has been lacking for as long as I can remember, and now it’s your job to make it right.

In order for the school year to be successful, there needs to be a wide avenue of communication between Leadership and the rest of the school, not just an alleyway. It’s about time Leadership and the rest of the student body collaborated. Think of the things we could accomplish as a school with each other’s support. Think of the things we haven’t been able to accomplish without it. The ball is in your court now, ASB. Please don’t fumble it.

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