VICTORVILLE — Students from across the Victor Valley Union High School District convened at the district offices to share their experiences and concerns, as VVUHSD kicked off its Student Advisory Council.

VVUHSD Superintendent Carl Coles established the council and held its inaugural meeting last week, inviting two students from each of the district's eight campuses.

“Our purpose as a school district is to meet the needs of students, so hearing directly from them can help us achieve that goal,” Coles said. “Listening to them was undoubtedly the highlight of my week, and I look forward to having these honest, open conversations that can lead to concrete actions to improve VVUHSD student life.”

Coles and VVUHSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Ratmony Yee heard from the grade 7-12 students about a variety of topics, including the availability of elective courses, college and career readiness, athletics, technology, availability of supplies, and more.

“I came today to give input to help develop the career pathways in the high schools and to encourage more development in the athletics programs,” said Victor Valley High School junior Roxanne Hurtado, a captain on the school’s wrestling team. 

Hurtado praised the recent College and Career Day at Victor Valley High School, which featured more than 80 speakers who gave students a chance to learn about a wide range of careers. Hurtado and other students said they’d like to see more of these opportunities districtwide.

“Seeing what issues the other campuses have, and hearing the perspectives of students at different schools and different grades, it helped me realize we have some of the same issues at our campus,” said Shannon Heslin, a senior at Goodwill High.

The group will meet monthly during the school year and will explore different topics while following up on previous topics to gauge the district’s progress in those areas.

“We absolutely had an amazing time with our students,” Yee said. “They were very honest with their comments; they were very candid. They were very honest with us and they were asking for support in some of those areas they feel should be a priority in our district.”

PHOTOS:

TOP: Students share their opinions and concerns with VVUHSD Superintendent Carl Coles at the district offices.

BOTTOM: Student Advisory Council members with Superintendent Carl Coles, left, and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Ratmony Yee, right.