Student voice is something that is highly valued at Lyons Township High School. The following student advisory groups are active at LT: Principal Student Advisory Committee, Student Equity & Belonging Committee, and Co-Curricular Student Leaders Advisory. Student belonging, support, experience, and school safety are topics that are regularly discussed at student advisory committee meetings.
Students have the opportunity to participate in student voice workshops regularly throughout the year. The workshops are co-facilitated by a partner consultant, administrators, and student facilitators. Workshop objectives include:
Students participate in ice breakers in order to build rapport with the group and make connections before starting to discuss content.
The group discusses values and norms as part of setting intentions for the day.
Students participate in a diversity line activity in order to begin processing the backgrounds of the individuals that are participating within the workshop.
Students are introduced to the dignity framework and the concepts of dignity honored and dignity violated. Students engage in discussions around dignity honored/violated.
Students learn about communication strategies such as active and reflective listening.
Students engage in a reflective Continue, Stop, Start table conversation in which they discuss the things that we should continue doing at LT, start doing at LT and stop doing at LT.
Feedback is analyzed by student leaders and members of the LTHS administrative team and feedback is taken into account during planning processes.
Peaceable Student Initiative is an organization which promotes students as leaders in the effort to create a positive school climate that welcomes and celebrates all students. PSI activities are designed to develop an environment that supports positive personal interactions between students, students and staff, and staff and parents/community members. Each semester PSI advisors and students facilitate forums in which students have the opportunity to share their voice and feedback about the LTHS experience.
Student representatives are included as members of the LTHS Safety Committee.
Students were included within the Strategic Planning Process and are included as members of Lyons Township Community Advisory Council (LTCAC), and District 204 hiring committees. There is a Student Representative to the District 204 Board of Education and they have the opportunity to share monthly updates at District 204 Board of Education meetings.
Students have the opportunity to share their voice through various surveys throughout the course of the year: Panorama, 5Essentials, Illinois Youth Survey, Equal Opportunity Schools Survey, and High School Readiness Survey. Students had the opportunity to participate in belonging listening circles during the 2024-25 school year in order for members of the District Administrative Team to learn more about students’ perceptions of belonging and action steps that can be taken to enhance belonging for all students.
Student voice is also included within the development of the summer reading list, within program/curriculum review processes, and through individual teacher surveys regarding instructional/learning preferences.
