The student advisory council met for the first time Monday, December 5. The council is made up of 22 students, of different grade levels, ethnicities, backgrounds and academic standings. The council members jobs are to speak on behalf of the student body on issues affecting their classmates.

The student advisory council will be replacing sundaes with the principal, with the hopes of taking on more serious issues in a more effective way. The group will meet once a month to discuss various topics.

“Mr. Kasik would do the sundaes with the principal or the pizza with the principal and that’s one way to hear student voices but you never really knew who was gonna show up and sometimes the topics weren’t really anything weighty or of substance and you weren’t necessarily getting a diverse group of voices,” principal Janice Schwarze said. “ I wanted a group where I could count on the same voices and we could build a rapport and people could feel comfortable. I worked to create a group that I thought could represent the entire student body.”

Sophomore Daniel Atwater attended several sundaes with the principal and felt that former principal Scott Kasik created a good environment for sharing ideas and opinions.

“I felt that he [Kasik] took into account what every kid said and he sometimes would summarize what everyone said at the end, he also said that he used our opinions a lot. Now, it’s a lot more restricted,” Atwater said.

Senior Jack Scacco is a member of the student advisory council and also attended sundaes with the principal last year. He has high hopes for the council and all that it will accomplish this year.

“I went to Sundaes with the Principal last year, I didn’t do it freshman or sophomore year but I really enjoyed giving input to Mr. Kasik and feeling like I had a say in things,” Scacco said. “Not as much got done last year as I think will get done this year. I think we’ll be more effective because it’s the same people every time, it’s more serious because we all know that we are there for a reason, whereas some people would go to sundaes with the principal just to get food.”

The council members are going to act as liaisons for the student body, they will speak on behalf of their peers. Freshman Naomi Rajesh was chosen to be on the council and wants to get to know what issues are important to her classmates.

“I am one of 2,186 students so it is a lot of weight to hold, but I believe I can represent the student body to the best of my abilities. My role in the council calls for me to go out and interact with different people and learn more about how are student body is. I feel confident in the group and what we will achieve.”

Since the council isn’t open to all students, principal Schwarze wants students to know that she is always willing to talk to students about any concerns they may have.

“I knew right away, as soon as I was named principal, that I would want to have a student advisory council because i believe that it is the student’s school. I want to hear their voices, and it’s difficult to do that without a system in place.” Schwarze said. “I want our students to be part of making a difference and I have had students now who come to me and share their concerns about this or that and I love that. So anybody who feels like they would have done this, they could email me or stop by to talk to me.”

The student advisory members are also willing to speak to any of their classmates about the problems they face at school.

“I am very open and if anyone would want to discuss an issue I am always willing to talk and then bring it up at our meetings. I believe that we are all very different from each other and that our time at North can vary greatly and so there may be issues that I do not come across,” Rajesh said. “This group was made so we can represent the student body, so essentially the students are making the change.”