Students on Kendall’s Code of Conduct Committee suggest end to banning hats in school
School will look to add more healthy options at ‘Eagle’s Nest’
Photo by Kristina Gabalski: Ninth grade students Skylar Ammerman and Garrett Sheffield present to Kendall Board of Education members during a public hearing on the Code of Conduct.
KENDALL – The Kendall Board of Education is currently considering annual updates to the district’s Code of Conduct. During the board’s regular meeting on Wednesday, board members heard from two students who have been part of a committee preparing recommendations.
“We love to have student support,” Kendall Jr./Sr. High School Principal Carol D’Agostino said.
Garret Sheffield and Skylar Ammerman, both ninth-graders, are student members of the Code of Conduct Committee.
“They volunteered,” D’Agostino said of the students. “They had ideas for making the code stronger.”
During their presentation, which was part of a public hearing on the Code of Conduct, Sheffield and Ammerman said they felt the code’s ban on students wearing hats during the school day should be removed.
“We think it’s a great way to express yourself,” they said regarding hats. “We know that some people feel headwear can be offensive, but we feel students should have the right to express who they really are.”
They also said they felt the “Eagle’s Nest” – an in-school cafe which provides beverages and snacks before and after school hours – should provide more nutritious flavored waters and juice drinks instead of coffee drinks and sodas.
The students also felt they should be able to use their phones for calls during lunch periods.
D’Agostino reported to board members following the public hearing regarding the changes that have been proposed in the code. She said the committee worked to reflect student input in the process and that there is still some work to be done.
“There will be no hats,” D’Agostino said regarding headwear, but efforts will be made provide more healthy options at the Eagle’s Nest.
“We will strive to be more health conscious,” she said.
Board President Nadine Hanlon noted that the in-school cafe was created to give students choices for snacks outside of school hours as an alternative to walking to a convenience store.
In other business, board members approved the creation of a library club. Jr./Sr. High School librarian Alicia Charland told the Orleans Hub she hopes to create a “maker space” in the library for students. The maker space allows for student creativity through up-cycling and recycling projects. It is a space for participants to create something and explore their interests.
Charland said she already has two sewing machines which have been donated for the program.
D’Agostino commended Charland for her enthusiasm.
“She has so many ideas about how to get kids excited about reading, we are blessed to have her,” D’Agostino told board members.
