JORGEN RANGEN/Wildcat Corner
This weekend the members of Wm. E. Hay Students’ Union attended the third annual “Speak out Conference” in Edmonton. This is an initiative of Alberta Education and is meant to encourage and inspire student engagement. The weekend consisted of key note speakers, including Education Minister Dave Hancock, breakout sessions where students had the opportunity to discuss a variety of issues in education including diploma examinations, technology in the classroom and the flexibility enhancement project and of course time to mingle with students province wide and make new friends.
Students were encouraged to share their perspectives and opinions as all of the feedback was recorded and will be reviewed by personnel at Alberta Education.
Chaperones, including parents and teachers, were also involved in discussions about hot topics in education. It was a very interesting and worthwhile experience for all those involved.
During the conference, we listened to influential speakers, such as Sunjay Nath and Adam Fletcher.
Nath advocated the positive effects of being a student leader, such as improvements in academic achievements and positive work environments.
Fletcher proposed ideas of student involvement in education. He believed strongly that since students comprise roughly 92 per cent of a school’s population, they should have a place on hiring committees, vote on school policies, and have a say in what they learn and how they learn it.