Students from GHS joined over 260 of their high school peers in Nashville on March 7, 2023, to express their views on public education in Tennessee at the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE). The event took place on the Belmont University campus.
Students who attended from GHS were Hank Hope, Jackson Lambe, Xari Roots, and Libby Whitehouse
Now in its 40th year, SCOPE is designed to give students a voice where public education issues are concerned and to involve young people in finding solutions to the topics that are discussed. Attendees participated in mock school board sessions, where they assumed the roles of school board members, school officials, parents, students and concerned citizens. The sessions were led by school board members, and superintendents from across the state.
Students then chose speakers to represent each of their 16 small groups who went on to take part in full-scale debates on current education issues. This year’s four debate topics and results from the poll were:
- The Board shall have two student representatives who serve in a non-voting role. (Agree: 73%, Disagree: 27%)
- Students shall have the option of substituting club sports for physical education requirements. (Agree: 23%, Disagree: 77%)
- Submitting electronic threats shall be a zero-tolerance offense. (Agree: 55%, Disagree: 45%)
- Every student must take a career readiness assessment as part of a local graduation requirement. (Agree: 22%, Disagree: 78%)
Greeneville High School Instructor Kevin Goltra stated, “SCOPE is a wonderful experience, where students get to evaluate different policies and laws associated with school and learn to debate those policies in a structured and civil setting. This year, Greeneville was well represented by having two of our four participants chosen to debate. Students are chosen by their fellow students across the state of Tennessee. With close to 200 students in attendance, this is a big achievement.”