By John Lee Grant |
Gabriela Vargas. (Courtesy photograph.)
Haverhill High School students want a greater say in their education, including how money should be spent.
For the past two years, a group of Haverhill High School students have been working with Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law School looking to find ways to improve student success by creating a safe and supportive learning environment. Their group Haverhill Violence Intervention and Prevention or VIP, for short has been brainstorming with Harvard Law interns and addressing state legislators with the goal of improving relationships between educators and students.
Last Thursday, Haverhill High School senior and Student Council President Gabriela Vargas told the School Committee why student input is critical in achieving that goal.
Teachers and students walk to the entrance at the Mattahunt Elementary School in Boston s Mattapan before the day s start on Dec. 14, 2020. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Growing up in Vero Beach, Florida, I acted as a translator between my mother and my teachers. My mom, a native Haitian-Creole speaker, was still learning English and my school didn’t have staff able to speak our home language. I even acted as a translator during parent-teacher conferences. Looking back, I can see that this need for translation resources created a barrier to a better education for me and countless other children.