Editorial: Calling for more input and student voice at LFA

The students at Lake Forest Academy are a diverse group of people who bring unique perspectives to everything they do and achieve during their time at LFA. So, if this is the case, why is it that the student voice is at times underrepresented or undermined?

We, as the student body, feel that the voices of our students need to be heard and listened to more and that important decisions regarding the school should be made with at least some student consideration. 

Obviously, there are decisions that need to be made outside of student control. It is not to say that every decision needs to be made by students and have student input; however, it feels that there has been an indifference toward student voice regarding student-related issues. There are decisions more related to the students than the adults on campus, and yet the student opinion is not taken into account. Many of the decisions that are made are beneficial and in favor  of the students, so why are student opinions rarely involved?

It was recently announced that $1.4 million is going into an astonishingly large health center. This is a momentous achievement as it shows the school is making a step in the right direction of encouraging students to get help. However, students have had little input into the health center. If these decisions are about financials and building permits, then more transparency would be appreciated so that students know how they fit into the equation. Students want to feel more in the know about all things LFA.

For many years, the state of mental health at LFA has been downplayed, and it has taken too long to develop a health center as modern as the rest of campus. The Health and Wellness department has been pushing for more resources for years and with the help from student input, it would be more clear how important this is and how much sooner it needed to be put in. Students have been pushing for the mental health at the school to improve for years. With the profits from the 2022 Gala being put into this facility, it begs the question of why the Gala money hasn’t been used for this in the past. 

There are many things that the school can do to increase student opinions in the decisions that are being made. At LFA, student government is taken very seriously. Every year, there is always a race for each position to be filled. The representations for each class seem to be very involved with the student body, but less with the administration. Those positions are meant to represent the student voice; however, it feels like the voices simply go back to the students and not to the administration. 

The Prefects should also be more involved in the decisions that are made. The Prefects are the group of students most involved with the administration and work to connect the students with the administration/faculty; despite this, it still feels as if their voices are being disregarded. 

In the future, listening to student voices—the prefects, student government, and the general student body—for larger decisions within the school could allow for a more cohesive academic body with decisions made for everyone’s benefit. Students do not need to have control over every decision and should not be involved in every decision. This being said, it seems only logical to have more student input, especially when the decisions are being made for the students and the benefits directly impact the student body. 

Our hope is that more student voices can be heard and involved in future projects.