ISLAND VOICES
Student activities must be protected

By Kristine Duong and Grace Kwan

Everyone agrees that reading, writing and arithmetic make for a model curriculum, but how about adding student activities to this wholesome image?

What's a student without co-curricular activities to lighten and enlighten their school days?

Under the Reinventing Education Act of 2004, an omnibus education reform law passed last year also known as Act 51, the Department of Education is poised to implement a new way of education funding through the weighted student formula.

Although this may seem innovative, many student activity programs are in jeopardy of losing state-funded subsidies, which could mean dozens of lost opportunities for students here on out because schools will lose the incentive to encourage student participation in valuable learning activities.

Two such programs in jeopardy are the Hawaii Secondary Student Conference and the Hawaii State Student Council, both of which are programs essential to the civic education of our youth.

The Hawaii Secondary Student Conference prides itself on exposing secondary students to the intricacies of the legislative process that goes on in the state Legislature and Board of Education. Students use these opportunities to address their opinions and concerns on current issues to policy-making bodies in the hopes of solving, or at least alleviating, the issues.

This annual conference is the only one of its kind in the nation. No other state has a student-planned and -executed state conference of this magnitude.

In conjunction with the conference, the Hawaii State Student Council is the primary representative and advocate of student interests to the state Legislature and Board of Education. The council is also responsible for conducting the election, and consequent selection, of the student member of the Board of Education.

Without a state council, there is no legally authorized body to select the student member, and under the new weighted student formula, the elimination of the position of the BOE student member is not improbable.

Through these two organizations, students become more aware of the issues that surround their school, home and community and are empowered to speak out about them. Without these programs, students' voices will be significantly dampened — perhaps even silenced. Our right to participate in the decision-making processes that affects our education, and our state will be, in effect, null and void.

Hawai'i has always been at the forefront in supporting student activities programs that individuals on the Mainland envy. Let us continue this tradition by maintaining financial support for state student activities at the state level.

Kristine Duong is a senior at Iolani School and chairperson of the Hawaii Secondary Student Conference. Grace Kwan is a senior at 'Aiea High School and the political action chair for the Hawaii State Student Council. They wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.