Student Delegate Reflects On Student Congress On Polices In Education

Three students from Putnam County Schools served as delegates to the Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE).

One delegate, Upperman High School Junior Ross King, said that at the one-day event at Belmont University, students were put into small groups and discussed and debated policies that affect school systems.

“We debated whether we should have uniforms for students,” King said. “And we discussed whether students should have to meet certain criteria to park on campus, or whether we should have a year-round school year.”

King said that he was able to meet representatives from the Tennessee School Board Association, as well as become close with fellow participants. King said SCOPE helped him get a better understanding of school boards and helped him to hone his public speaking skills.

King said that his favorite aspect of his time at SCOPE was the people he met. He said that he still keeps up with some of them today.

“I met a lot of different people and people from different walks of life,” King said. “There were people from towns even smaller than Baxter and there were people from cities larger than Baxter. I have a group chat with a bunch of people from my small group and we still talk regularly. So I’ve made a lot of new friends that I get to enjoy talking to.”

King said that he attended at the suggestion of teacher Amy Rouchon. He said that he would recommend the program if someone might be interested in attending.

“It’s a one-day thing so it’s short, but it’s fun,” King said. “That was the thing. I didn’t expect it to be necessarily very fun, but it was actually a really good day.”