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City Beat
High school survey leads to increased participation
Student-initiated idea implemented in SJUSD schools
By Moryt Milo
Willow Glen High School students say last year's student survey, designed by the high school's leadership class, helped spark a positive change in campus culture.
The survey's purpose was to determine what was needed to encourage greater school-wide participation in student government, leadership classes, clubs and dances. The students were also looking for ways to improve student spirit.
"The students came to us with the idea and designed the questions," Activities Vice Principal Chuck Hernandez said. "They were looking for solutions to generate greater student participation on campus."
The strongest issue to emerge from the results was students indicating a lack of belonging or acceptance if they were not involved in clubs or activities, said senior Arwen Lange, student body president.
Every student on campus was given the survey and asked to voluntarily complete it. Most of the questions were multiple-choice with two open-ended response questions at the end. All the answers were anonymous.
Senior Amy Burkhard, who helped design the survey and review the answers, said, "We worked really hard on the survey and read every free-response answer."
The leadership class students said they really made an effort to hear what the students were saying. They had help from leadership class teacher Melissa McCoy and Vice Principal Chuck Hernandez.
"People saw we followed through with the survey and cared about what they had to say," Senior and Student Body Vice President Jaime Watts said.
The survey helped generate interest in the creation of new clubs, bigger turnouts for cheerleading and greater participation in student government and leadership classes.
After last spring's survey, elections for student body government positions and classroom candidates also garnered more interest. Chuck Hernandez said, "We decided for the first time to have an all-school assembly where the survey results were discussed, students learned about their constitutional rights and gained a better understanding of their student government body."
Leadership students also decided to hold an all-school assembly so everyone on campus could hear speeches from nominees interested in running for student government offices. It was the first time students listened to what prospective candidates had to say in a group setting.
"It sparked a lot of debate and interest in the audience," senior Vanessa Hernandez said. "We never had that before."
It also encouraged a larger number of students to run for office, with multiple candidates for president, vice president and student class leaders.
"So many people who had not thought about running decided to run," leadership class student Kristina Ravo said. "It got students thinking, 'I have an opinion, so I'm going to run and run it."'
This year's leadership class has much higher participation and diversity. The class, which had 20 students last year, now has 60.
"I think the survey got a lot more people involved," said sophomore Tony Goetz. "Our leadership class was small and all white. Now there is much more diversity. We have Asian, Latino and all kinds of people working together. One of the problems in the past was people looked at the leadership class and saw just a bunch of white kids."
Goetz and others in the current leadership class said the survey helped change the leadership class' image.
Although the majority of the students saw a shift in school attitudes that created an increase in school participation and support, some were not willing to give the survey that much credit.
"I don't think the survey had enough questions that were relevant or pertained to the school," senior Jessie Cruz said. "I think there should have been more racial questions and more probing of student feelings."
But racial issues, which dominated conversation and culture on the Willow Glen campus last year, were one of the reasons the survey was initiated.
Senior Hernandez said, "Everyone became tired of the whole racial thing."
Senior and Associated Student Body Chief Justice Kelsey Giambruno agreed and said, "The [survey] questions opened up doors and made people realize they are part of the school and that they can be represented."
The success of the student survey at Willow Glen High School was applied, with various appropriate modifications, to other schools in the San Jose Unified School District.
The Willow Glen Associated Student Body leaders presented it at an interdistrict leadership council meeting last spring. The council includes student leaders from all the district's high schools. Some district staff and a school board member also attend the meeting.
The leadership students see the survey as a positive reflection on their school.
"For so long Willow Glen High School has been portrayed in a negative way," Watts said. "It just shows we care about our campus and turning things around. For once we are an example for something to be applauded."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
