Rockdale Career Academy students Helen Vilichay, Camara Johnson, and Talan Fowlkes covered two organizations at two different schools, the Heritage High School Student Council and the Rockdale Career Academy Science Club, to learn more about each organization.

 

What are we navigating?

In a series of interviews, we hope to navigate different portions of the student body. We interviewed two school organizations in two different schools; a student council and a science team. We interviewed important leadership figures in each organization.

In each, the structure of the organization, student roles, and the group's involvement in school or external activities, were all asked of.

With this collection of interviews, we can compare different organizations and their structures.

 

Student Council

Heritage High School (HHS) Student Council consists of class president, class vice president, class treasurer and class secretary. They work together to initiate plans for the student body. Also, there are committees to the student council such as media and art.

We interviewed Sarah Diakite, the Junior Class President of HHS Student Council. She briefly described the student council’s impact on the school.

“In Student Council, we try to be inclusive of all students," she said. "So, we try to get ideas from all groups for things that they want. We plan things like immersive pep rallies; we just had a glow stick rally. I think that the impact that our student council has had on Heritage is that everyone’s able to get their ideas out, no matter social status, grades, or anything. We try to make high school as inclusive as it can be for everyone.”

From each member of Heritage’s student council, they are able to create fun events and pep rallies for the students.

For example, as explained by Sarah, the student council at Heritage has hosted and organized events such as Dunk in Tank, Yogurt Mountain Spirit Night, a Homecoming Workshop, and a Skate Night.

These events are all created as a result of cooperating with ideas from the student body and are all well-liked and popular events that students love.

 

Science Team

The Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology's Science Team, coached and formed by Diana Kennen, had its first competition in 2006. Due to high demand of a Science Team from students, and having competed in Science Olympiad competitions herself, Ms. Kennen formed Science Team, an organization which has since stood for 19 years and ongoing.

Kennen was asked, “What were the overall goals for Science Team?”

“Well, as always, you like to win, but the main thing is for everybody to have fun," Ms. Kennen answered. "If you like doing science, you got to learn new kinds of science, got to build things, got to hang out with your friends, visit schools and universities in the area. So, it was partly the chance to earn some recognition, but mainly it’s an opportunity to have fun doing science with your friends."

One of the competitions the RMSST Science Team participates in is Science Olympiad, a national STEM tournament in the U.S. in which students travel to competitions usually held in educational institutions (high schools, colleges or universities). There are three divisions in this tournament: Science Team is present in Division C, the high school division.

One of the co-captains of the RMSST Science Team, My-vi (Allison) Huynh, describes her experience in science team, including her participation in Science Olympiad.

“When you think of science, you think of biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. But in Science Team, you get to really delve deep into the subcategories of those main core subjects...things like entomology, which is the study of bugs.”

RMSST’s Science Team officers are the two co-captains and the lieutenants, which help the co-captains.

The general members are split into 2 teams, gold and blue. At first, gold and blue team positions are randomized but nearing towards the end of the year, gold team usually consists of those who have more experience in Science Team (those who have attended more meetings) than some members in the blue team — though, in both teams, the effort is really put in to make a great, cooperative Science Team.