2 days ago
Empowerment Collaborative Summer Planning Conference gives students a seat at the table
FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WVNS) – While schools across the state are wrapping up the 2024-2025 school year, students and teachers at Fayette County Schools are already planning for next marked the first session of this year's Empowerment Collaborative Planning Summer Conference, an annual event that brings students and teachers for the chance to work toward an educational approach that works for everyone.'We're trying to focus on bettering our school programs, helping out with our schools' needs, and seeing what we need to do and what we need to have done in our schools in Fayette County,' says Oak Hill Middle School student, Greyson Hess.
Participants said the combined perspectives of students and educators in the planning process can lead to a more informed and more balanced curriculum, with the potential to create significant educational change on the community level.'Kids can do a lot of things whenever they've been given the tools,' said Lilly Lockhart, also a student at Oak Hill Middle School. 'I think that the Empowerment Project can really change the community, and it can change how students learn in school.'Also, on-hand for the event was Curriculum Specialist for Fayette County Schools, Kennedy Moore, who told 59News that the inclusion of students in decision-making processes that will ultimately affect them can positively impact the end result. 'The voice of the students is so important in this work because it allows them to truly be empowered and it allows them to feel like they have a voice in their education,' she said. 'I think that that makes all the difference.'
The third annual Empowerment Collaborative Summer Planning Conference, hosted this year at the Historic Gaines Estate, will continue through the week, giving students a chance to engage with educational assessments, workplace simulations, and other resources to help them prepare for a year of collaborative learning.
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