Rome City Schools closed out School Board Appreciation Week last week with a special breakfast with the Rome High and Rome Middle School Superintendent Students Advisory Councils and some board members.
Students and board members had the chance to meet, interact, and ask questions.
Seniors Bo Bushnell and Adriana Churchill led a question and answer session where several students asked the board members about their day jobs, what they like to do, and why they enjoy serving on the board of education.
Board members Toni Blanchard, Pascha Burge, Jill Fisher and Alvin Jackson were able to attend the breakfast, but Jackson had to leave early due to a prior commitment.
“One of my favorite parts about being a board member is getting the chance to go to schools and interact with students,” Burge said.
Fisher agreed with Burge saying she enjoys being around students and is honored to be able to be on stage at graduation and help hand out diplomas.
“Being able to hear about the many great accomplishments in Rome City Schools and being able to hear about concerns and being able to address those is very rewarding,” Blanchard said.
Bushnell explained to the board that the advisory councils meet throughout the school year and discuss issues in both the high school and middle school.
“I think my favorite moment being on the council was when we were talking about the new Rome Middle School and helping come up with ideas of what to do with the old middle school,” he said.
Eleanor Cornejo, an eighth grader, mentioned the last council meeting where students had a chance to meet and talk with several Rome City Commissioners.
“The last meeting we had with the city commissioners was so surreal to me. We had a chance to talk to the mayor and he was asking what we thought needed to be done and how they could do things differently,” she said. “I enjoyed meeting all the commissioners. This council is a good opportunity for us to come together and really put our voices out to express our opinion.”
Natalia Jones, a junior, asked the board members what their days look like. Blanchard talked about being a probation officer as well as taking time to field emails and phone calls about school issues.
Burge mentioned that she is retired but does contract work. She also said with a big smile that she is a MeMe for her granddaughter and really enjoys that as well as hearing and talking with everyone about school issues.
Fisher talked about her work in the community with several organizations as well as supporting her husband who is a local dentist.
Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland also chimed in about the board members.
“As a governance team, we send weekly memos to the board, so they know what’s going on each week,” he said. “The board also sets the budget to make sure we have the money to run the district.”
Churchill, who was preparing to speak in front of more than 1,500 people as part of the GSBA Youth Advisory Council, talked about the importance of the student council members and board members.
“We all have these passions and interests that drive us. We all represent who we are and the communities that we are involved in. Our mission as a council is to speak for these communities and speak up for those that may not have a voice,” she said.
After the bell rang to signal time to go to classes, several students continued talking with board members and Dr. Holland reminded the council of one last thing.
“We can’t fix everything but please continue to share your voice because your voices are power,” he said. “We want to continue to listen to you.”