With the regular addition of Samantha Elk’s perspective at their board meetings, the Bayfield School Board hopes to take a meaningful step toward incorporating student voices into its decision-making process, ensuring that students are heard and their perspectives are valued in the governance of the district.
The candidates for the position were interviewed by School Board President Rebecca Parnell, Board Secretary/Treasurer Matt Turner and Superintendent Leon Hanhardt, and Elk, who is involved in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and competitive cheerleading, was selected for her leadership potential and well-rounded background.
"I wanted to deepen my public speaking skills and gain leadership skills," she shared, adding that the role will help her continue to develop both. “I’m definitely going to use those skills more as the year continues.”
The board unanimously approved Elk’s appointment as 2024 drew to a close, but the idea for a student representative has been in the works for several years. Turner said he was motivated to support the initiative after attending board meetings in other districts prior to joining the Bayfield board.
“Before I was actually on the board, I spent some time watching other districts’ board meetings,” Turner explained. “Other districts had student reps, and to me, it was an amazing process because those kids were able to give their opinions.”
Parnell echoed Turner’s enthusiasm.
“We’re really excited to have Samantha on board with us. She brings us that student perspective, which is really important when making decisions,” she said.
“We voted on a lot of stuff over the past 3 ½ years that it would have been nice to have some kids (participate) and get their perspective on it,” Turner agreed.
Parnell and Turner were joined by former board member Amy Davlin in their push to make the student representative position a reality, and the board members said the value of hearing students’ perspectives became especially apparent to them when they watched student presentations at a statewide conference.
“I was at a CASB (Colorado Association of School Boards) conference my first year, and I heard from students then,” Parnell described. “It was one of the best sessions I attended at CASB that year, and when I became president Matt Turner refreshed it in my mind, and said we should do it.”
The board didn’t waste any time seeking out the student perspective from their newest (non-voting) member when Samantha attended her first meeting in December, and Elk willingly shared her opinions on district matters, including the school calendar and an online math program. She expressed satisfaction with the current calendar, but wasn’t as supportive of the math program.
“I liked the calendar how it is,” she said before admitting that she found the math program “underwhelming” after helping friends navigate it.
Turner emphasized the importance of Elk’s role in giving her honest input.
“I’d like to have her lay her opinions on us without being called on,” he said, explaining that the board wanted her to feel comfortable sharing her thoughts without waiting for prompts. “During her interview, you could tell that she thought about what she said.”
“It is keeping us more informed than we were, and it has added another layer to our decision making, which I think is really important,” Parnell said.
Although Elk initially felt nervous speaking in front of the board, she quickly found her confidence.
“It was a little bit scary because there was a bit more of an audience at the first half of the meeting," she admitted. "As they went away, it got a little bit easier to speak out, but it was still nerve-wracking.”
Fortunately, she does have previous public speaking experience, and has even made a presentation to her tribal council, and Elk is eager to continue growing her communication skills.
Parnell noted that this is a new and evolving position, and the board is eager to see how it grows as well.
“It’s a position you can mold into how it best fits your board and your district,” she said. “We’re excited to roll it out and see where it goes. All of the board members are on board, and we are ready to see how it grows.”