Student Advisory Council Launches Series with Liggins

The 2023-24 Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council is a diverse group representing all of Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS), and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins plans to keep their faces and suggestions in mind when making decisions that affect our district. “We have a lot of fun, but we also have some serious work,” he told the council at their first meeting. “It’s important that you’re honest and share your perspectives. You also represent your campuses, so share their voices as well.”

Principals chose these 31 high schoolers based on leadership qualities and a belief that they can initiate positive changes. At the Nov. 8 kickoff, a Q&A icebreaker helped the teens get to know one another, and they completed a gallery walk activity to reflect on a dozen concerns and ideas posted around the conference room. Among them:

• Some classrooms are too bland;
• Teachers have biases when enforcing rules; and
• Chromebooks are not the only learning tool.

“We’re all here for the same goal, and we’ll bounce ideas off each other,” said Shreya Chandrashekar of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Zoe Fields, representing Eastside Technical Center, agreed. “You have to be the voice for other people, so that adds a lot of responsibility,” she noted.

The council will meet monthly to talk about current happenings on campuses and identify areas for improvement. Along the way, the students will solidify new friendships, polish their leadership skills, and learn more about the district and its staff.

Council Roster

Bryan Station High School: Keelan Adams, Seven Burnam, and Shayla Minton

Carter G. Woodson Academy: Jaden Bush-Maultsby and Jiovanni Woodley

Eastside Technical Center: Zoe Fields

Frederick Douglass High School: Armelo Boone, Austin Harmon, and Niah Rhodes

Henry Clay High School: Donovan Blevins, Kaitlin Hisle, Manuel Lopez-Menchaca, and Isabella Martos-Suniaga

Lafayette High School: Rojina Bastola, Josiah Cutts, Joel Desmennu, and Lyla Welch

Martin Luther King Jr. Academy: TeYonah Jackson and Jadon Pritchett

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School: Brady Carius, Shreya Chandrashekar, Pacifique Nduwayo, and Colton Turlington

Southside Technical Center: Thomas Givan

STEAM Academy: Maher Lanza and Kaci Sapp

Tates Creek High School: Zaid Shalash, Dieme Wakilongo, and Grace Yahr

The Learning Center: Zedekiah Bush and T.T. Phillips

Liggins will also welcome a middle school council this spring for two meetings at the John D. Price Administration Building.

Contact: Andria Jackson in the superintendent’s office, (859) 381-4104