On Friday, March 9, the eighth grade joined the rest of the high school in plenary for their very first time. Plenary is when the whole high school gathers on Fridays to discuss topics relevant to the government. But this year, the eighth graders’ introduction to Student Government was different: rather than being introduced to the high school by presenting a proposal, the eighth graders worked on a Participatory Budgeting proposal.

Before integrating into plenary, eighth graders work with their Directors of Cross-Grade Communication (DOCC) to learn about Student Government. In the past, as a way to get their feet wet, eighth graders were asked to collaborate as a grade to create one proposal to present to the high school. Past proposals were made with the intent of altering something about how the school operates in order to benefit more people. Last year, the eighth graders proposed that there should be not one but two shadow days for current Parker eighth graders to visit the high school. Ultimately, after much debate through multiple plenary sessions, the proposal did not pass.

Senior and DOCC Ray Blickstein did not think that the eighth grade proposal ritual clearly reflected common proposals within Student Government. “The big proposal which eighth graders usually write is not a good example of what we actually really do in Student Government on a week-to week-basis,” Blickstein said. “It would not be a good thing for the eighth graders. In reality, we only really have a couple proposals a year.”

The solution was to move away from larger proposals and towards Participatory Budgeting, a much more manageable project. “This is very different from past years because we got to work with them in smaller groups on four different proposals,” Georgia Weed, sophomore and DOCC, said, “so more eighth graders got to experience Participatory Budgeting, and more voices were heard.”

The eighth graders gave a presentation in plenary on Friday, March 16, and their request for a charging station in the eighth grade atrium was fully funded with $225. The remaining $75 went to implementing customized snapchat filters during Spirit Week. The other two proposals, which were not funded, were for the addition of basketball hoops and a TV screen on which to display news and play games.

The process of creating their proposals began with brainstorming. “We began letting them brainstorm different ideas,” Weed said, “while we added our input and suggestions when they needed the opinion of a high-schooler.”

Some eighth graders thought brainstorming was a good way to see what objects were missing around the school, and then think about fixing that. “As a grade, we all just brainstormed things we would want to add to high school that we didn’t already have,” eighth grader Daisy Glazier said. “We thought of fun things like basketball baskets or vending machines or better Wi-Fi.”

“After collaborating with one another and brainstorming with their DOCCs, the eighth graders decided on their proposal, and they started to research,” Weed said. “They found all the information, prices, links, and more for their own proposals.”

By working on something that would impact the high school, some eighth graders felt a sense of responsibility. “I really liked getting to come up with a proposal that could be implemented throughout the high school,” eighth grader Elsie Rattner said. “I liked the responsibility of figuring out all the information about what we wanted to buy. It’s cool to know that because of our hard work, something in the high school could be added.”  

Students believed that the addition of charging stations would provide value. Glazier said, “We thought it would definitely benefit the school so people do not have to worry about charging their phones or computers or missing work or not being able to participate in class.”

High school students saw a difference with the shift to Participatory Budgeting proposal. “You could really see a difference in this year’s participatory budgeting proposals versus ours,” freshman and co-writer of last year’s eighth grade proposal Grace Conrad said. “The room was full of energy today, and the presenters were so passionate. When I presented, it was kind of the opposite–people didn’t really seem engaged at all. I don’t even think the eighth grade listened.”

Weed credits the increased engagement to the fact that Participatory Budgeting might have appealed to high schoolers more than eighth grade proposals in past years have. “More high schoolers will care about Participatory Budgeting because they will be voting on something that will go right back into the high school community,” Weed said. “While one big proposal also affects the high school, it doesn’t involve high schoolers in the same way that Participatory Budgeting does.”

“I really enjoyed making the proposal because it was something new,” eighth grader Lily Becker said. “I am looking forward to making similar proposals next year, and I’m not really as scared about Student Government because I’ve been a part of it.”