Grade Reps: The Inside Story

Would you consider Havergal democratic? I know I would. From the school captain down to spirit council, we all get to choose who we want as student leaders. For Havergal to continue this tradition, we need to think about whether teachers should continue to select our Grade Representatives (reps).

Grade Reps, a new informal leadership role this year, are people who represent each grade and speak on its behalf about how we can manage grade time together. The grade lunches and safe spaces many of us go to are an example of things they’ve done so far.

As I was delving into this topic, I realized that little is known about Grade Reps. Many people didn’t know what it is exactly that the Grade Reps do. Others didn’t know that the grade reps were chosen by Grade Lead teachers this year.

I spoke with Ms. Norberg, who runs this leadership program, and she summarized it for me: Grade Reps don’t have a specific set of assigned duties. They are informal student leaders. She  also said Grade Rep selection is done by Grade Leads, who are teachers pre-selected last year to guide reps in their informal leadership role.

Should teacher selection of grade reps continue next year? I asked my 10th-grade peers this question, and found two main perspectives.

One view is that Grad Reps should be elected by students. To be fully representative of the student body, it is important for the selection process for grade reps to be transparent and democratic. For the grade rep process to fall outside this norm of student election creates inequity between the Grade Reps process and that of other student leaders—like school captain and spirit council.

Others thought teacher selection of grade reps made sense.  They thought of elections as popularity contests and worried that those with the most votes may not be those best suited for the job.  Under this model, people thought it was important for the selection criteria to be transparent, and for there to be student input into those criteria, to make sure that the Reps are truly representative of what the student body wants.

Here’s what I think.  For a group of people to be representatives, they should be chosen by the people they represent. Havergal, with a strong history of democratic electoral processes in student leadership roles, should honor this.

Ms. Norberg explained that the process of grade reps this year can be described as "beta". Consider this an experiment, she said. With this kind of approach, implementation can cause students to ask more questions, which is a way to integrate student voice into decision-making.

There is also a question about whether more student input should have taken place before implementation of this program.  However, the past cannot be changed -- the future can. We all have a role to play in ensuring that the voices of students are heard, and that we are involved as partners in the decisions being made that affect our everyday lives.

In the end, this article isn't meant to be a way of calling anyone out: students, teachers or otherwise. I have engaged my Grade Reps and Grade Leads in the writing of this article - all have been amazing collaborators. Journalism is all about hearing many sides of an issue.

I am pleased to say that Ms. Norberg has already invited me to offer thoughts on what the Grade Reps process might look like next year. I also know of at least one Grade Rep who sent in an op-ed to the BTI with suggestions on how the selection process could be improved. I would love to hear from all of you as we work through this together.

Truthfully, that is what my article is meant to do: invite suggestions and start partnerships. Grade Reps are so important to the future of Havergal, and I look forward to working with everyone to ensure that grade voices are heard so that we can create a hopeful tomorrow, all together.