Admin
Too Smart to Start
Posted on 03/15/2017
Jenkins School Board Segel

In March 2015, the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council was developed to engage high school students in issues and topics that affect all high schools across our district.

Members of the council include 2-3 students per high school, they work together to brainstorm creative solutions for problems that may face their friends and peers. 

For example, two years ago, the council organized a “Rivalry Love” initiative aimed at encouraging sportsmanship across all team sports. In fact, early this month, after the unfortunate passing of longtime OCPS employee and Freedom High School Baseball Coach David Wheeler, during a game between Oak Ridge and Freedom, the two teams decided to play the game in honor of the beloved coach. Proceeds from the gate receipts of the game were also donated to the Wheeler family.  

Last year, the advisory council members developed “Own Your Image,” a social media campaign to help students understand that everything they post, like, share and follow shapes their digital footprint. This year, the council is focusing on drug-use prevention and declaring that they are “Too Smart to Start.” 

In addition to building awareness with their shirts, banners will hang in prominent areas on campuses, and other students have enlisted the help of their peers to sign the banner as a way to show that they too pledge to be “Too Smart to Start.”

The students have also worked with our Video Services team to produce a video message for all their peers and found ways to personalize this campaign at their schools. To keep up with what the students are doing with this campaign, you can follow them on Instagram at @OCPS_Students. Student presented all of the board member with a “Too Smart to Start” shirt of their own during the March 14 school board meeting.