A little over two months ago, a group of 8th grade students came before the Upper School Student Government to present a proposal which would alter the method by which current Parker Middle Schoolers shadow their Upper School counterparts.

The “8th Grade Proposal” was somewhat of a trainwreck. After fighting an uphill battle with a majority of the Upper School student body for several weeks, the Student Government legislation met its end as it was voted down during a recent plenary session.

This isn’t to criticize those who advocated for the proposed changes, or to take aim at any individual. On the contrary, I believe that the Class of 2021’s introduction to the Upper School was an inadvertent success. An unforeseen victory.

For a period of roughly a month, lasting from early February to early March, the proposal put forth by the 8th grade was a frequent topic of discussion. The work essentially aimed to increase the number of Upper School shadow days given to 8th grade students at Parker while also bringing back an old system by which the same students were given an older “buddy” for their freshman year. The idea was not terribly popular among current Upper School students, myself included.

Upper Schoolers believed the proposal gave an unfair advantage to current Parker students and didn’t savor the idea of mandated additional shadow days. I’m fine with the idea of having an increased number of shadow days, but the notion that allowing Parker 8th graders to come visit the Upper School twice would allow for a smoother transition, as the proposal stated, seems a bit far-fetched.

I believe the resulting conversations came from an appraisal of the proposal’s genuine impact–were it instituted–on the Upper Schoolers. While the legislation itself can still be a punchline of sorts, I’ve found myself being a little more conscious of the current 8th graders than I was before. Two years in the life of a teenager can appear all but insignificant, and it’s easy to forget the perspectives we once had before entering high school.

While I do wholeheartedly believe that the 8th grade proposal as a construct is a fantastic young tradition within our Student Government, this year’s proposal took on a special meaning as a result of its content. I don’t think the idea was articulated effectively to the student body, but I believe there is intrinsic value to be found in the intention behind it.

The 8th grade proposal is, was, and will be a reflection of what current 8th grade students think of the Upper School. If the proposal that comes forward is about shadow days, there should be a conversation about shadow days, whether or not the idea becomes a reality. The proposal was a powerful vehicle for self-reflection and should be treated as such. In certain circumstances, it makes more sense to evaluate solutions by their intentions rather than their execution.

Like the majority of Upper School students, I was against the content of this year’s proposal. But I believe that there are great lessons to be learned from the intentions, the purpose, behind the 8th grader’s writing, whether or not the actual idea put forth pans out. Student Government is a powerful medium for collective expression and change–let’s make use of it in any way we can.