Freshman year sets the tone for a student’s high school experience. With all-new class options and vast schedule adjustments, freshmen can explore a variety of new things. Grant High School freshmen Maddie Meadows-Daywitt, Bronx Carpenter, Amiayah Lambert and Isa Nicholson are all freshman representatives of their respective bridge communities. Freshman representatives are meant to be a voice for the students in their bridge community. From planning community events to advocating for their peers, the student representatives serve important roles in their communities.
One of the responsibilities of a freshman representative is to stay informed about the new updates to policies affecting Grant. Although only elected in December, the representatives have already started to give input on district policy. Carpenter, the Steel Bridge Community representative, says that one of the main topics discussed during their meetings is the Jefferson High School redistricting plans. He sees the boundary change as detrimental to the Grant community, saying it will “kill our funding, and we’re going to have a lot less programs.”
To combat such worries, Amiayah Lambert, the Hawthorne Bridge Community representative, wants to give her classmates a voice. She recognizes the difference that speaking out can make. That’s why, by the end of the year, she aims to improve “togetherness” and communication at Grant. If somebody has a problem, she says, it’s important to bring it up or else it may be . overlooked.
The representatives’ main job is to focus on the concerns of their peers to better the freshman community. Maddie Meadows-Daywitt, the Tilikum Bridge Community representative, says she’s concerned about the lack of communication between students and teachers. “There’s a disconnection between teachers and students that really gets worse and worse every year,” she says. When applying for the position, she made sure to include her desire to change that in her application essay.
A common way students become disconnected from their community is by sticking within their cliques. Isa Nicholson, the St. Johns Bridge Community representative, says she’s worried about students only spending time with people they already know. Nicholson wants to make sure that everybody has a chance to be included in events. “I just think it’s important that Grant has something to offer for everyone,” she says.
In that regard, the freshman representatives are planning an end-of-year event for all freshmen to attend. Whether they opt to host a sports game, a movie night or something else entirely, the freshman representatives hope to bring the ninth grade community closer together.
