A standing room only crowd at the Adair County High School library was treated to one of the more unique school board meetings in recent memory Thursday night. Students led tours of the school during the open house immediately preceding the meeting, and more than 50 ACHS students spoke to the board about their high school experiences.
“We have a very special presentation that’s going to showcase all the different options we have available to us,” said student board member Lauren McQuaide to start the meeting. McQuaide came up with the idea to host the meeting at ACHS and did a lot of the organizational legwork. “Personally, as a student board member, I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself. I was intimidated at first, but I’ve learned to channel that.”
After McQuaide’s opening remarks students from every club, organization, and sports team in the school spoke to the board about how their group of choice impacted their academic, social, and emotional growth. Many students spoke about getting out of their comfort zones, being introduced to new groups of friends, learning teamwork, and gaining confidence.
The whole process took just more than an hour and left the board and superintendent – as well as the large crowd in the audience – quite impressed. “I think it’s very encouraging to see the excitement in these young people,” said Mike Harris, the board’s longest-tenured member. “You all did just a fantastic job. You should be proud.” Board chairwoman Lisa Burton and interim Supt. Dr. Pamela Stephens also commended the students, and offered their thanks to McQuaide for her hard work and vision in orchestrating the presentation.
Students participating in the presentation Thursday were:
Paige Grider (student site base member)
Michaela Walker (nursing/HOSA)
Owen Grant (SADD)
Lauren Talley (band)
Charles Jones (AP Euro)
Olivia Bair (visual arts/NAHS)
Ben Hancock (academic team)
Emery Bosela (STEM club)
Chloe Hixson (cheerleading)
Alayna Willis (JR AM/PM dual credit)
Cole Schmidt (Indian U)
Emily Taylor (yearbook)
Trenton Upchurch (air space)
Ashley Morford (choir)
Jaiden Taylor (ACCEL High)
Blake Biggs (golf)
Wes Stone (track)
Austin Dipascure (chess club)
C.J. Rodgers (football)
Katherine Curry (girls’ basketball)
Emily Farmer (tennis)
Michael Montgomery (baseball)
Kelsie Keltner (softball)
Kia Miller (volleyball)
Brandon Harp (Jr. Guard)
Hannah Scott (performing arts/drama)
Makayla Smith (FCA)
C.J. Bonifer (FBLA)
Savannah Roy (Ag/FFA)
Linsey Grant (BETA/NHS)
Cheyenne Waddle (peer tutor)
Sara Dunbar (pep club)
Grant Robertson (welding/Skills USA)
Katelyn Cowan (ambassadors)
Dylan Pendleton (Mandarin)
Hunter Cundiff (Spanish)
Kassi Roy (STARS)
Savannah Starks (All-State)
Kellie McGaha (FCCLA/FACS)
Mary McGuffin (EMT)
Natalie Taylor (AP chem)
Arabella Caldwell (AP lit)
Baylor Giles (boys’ basketball)
Laura Curry (9th tech academy)
Dylan Bryant (LCATC)
Derek Burris (IT)
Chauncey Abston (community work transition)
By Wes Feese
Media Relations, Adair County Schools