During Thursday’s tutorial, where a majority students take the 30-minutes of free time to study for upcoming tests and ask peers and fellow teachers about homework assignments, a selected group of students head to the auditorium. It’s not for a study session or a work time, it’s  time for legislative council.

The legislative council was created a few years ago by MVHS, with the intended purpose to reach out to the MVHS student body and address student’s problems on campus. During each meeting, student representatives chosen from their fifth period class are given updates from the administration regarding school events. The floor is then turned to the students, and the representatives can bring up any problems or suggestions.

Assistant Principal Mike White supports the creation of Legislative council and hopes it can continue to serve as a place where students concerns can be brought more into the spotlight.

“My hope is that we’ll have more school issues involved,” White said, “I really like it to be a place where students can say, “Hey this is what we want.” That’s what’s it suppose to be, a place where student concerns can be brought up and brought forward.

Senior Ajay Merchia, who joined legislative council in the beginning of his sophomore year, is supportive of the council’s purpose do to the closer connection students are able to have with the administration.

“There are quite a few issues that students complain about and wine about behind the administration’s back,” Merchia said, “ What legislative council does is it serves as effectively a tattletale in a good way it enables us to take these complaints, these issues that we have, and make things better as a school.”

Junior Mei Jin also sees legislative council as a positive step towards letting student opinions get heard.

“I think [legislative council] is really helpful because it gives [students] a platform that allows them to communicate to the school about like facilities and activities.” Jin said, “ but it’s not like something online, very impersonal, kind of indirect. You send people to actually talk for you.”

With new concerns brought up at every meeting, and more students suggesting ideas to the council, legislative council hopes to encourage students to speak up about their concerns, and assure them that they will not go unheard.