Cookeville High School students Milca Reyes and Gabriel Rouchon back from the Student Congress On Policies in Education conference at Belmont.
Cookeville High Assistant Principal Amy Rouchon said students across each county in Tennessee were chosen to represent the high school and compete in policy debates on issues affecting their educational environment.
“A lot of times, these kids often see that decisions have been made for them and they don’t understand why,” Rouchon said. “So, I think having them understand how the process work and how that they’re able to be involved, will help them make more informative decisions, and hopefully more productive citizens in our community.”
Rouchon said the power students feel when they are involved, gives them courage to draw their own conclusions. Debate topics ranged from adopting a zero-tolerance policy on vaping on campus to community service requirements for graduation.
“I encourage students to explore their opportunities, and encourage them to attend school board meetings that are held every Tuesday of the beginning of the month here,” Rouchon said. “It is open to the public. It’s neat for them to sit into and kind of see what’s being discussed, what decisions are being made. And hopefully, that, when they grow up and have a family and they have children in our school systems, that they will be active members.”
Rouchon said each group of students was split up by county, and overseen by the county superintendent or a school board member.
“They come and volunteer their time for the day to spend with the kids to kind of help them through the do’s and don’ts of how school board meeting are gone through, the etiquette of a debate,” Rouchon said.
At the end of the event, students gathered in a congress-like format to present their final arguments.
Seniors Reyes and Rouchon were selected from a range of upperclassmen across the school for their efforts within the local community. Reyes works at the local YMCA and Rouchon plans to join the military after school.
“He is very vocal on what he believes in,” Rouchon said. “I think this gave him an opportunity to really do some research.”
