The SAC serves as the voice of students in the State Board’s work. They are consulted on issues of policy before the Board. The SAC meets at least once per month. Each year, the Committee sends the SBOE a report on a matter of importance to District students, providing recommended next steps. If rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors are interested in joining the Student Advisory Committee, contact us at [email protected].
2020-21 Student Advisory Committee
The SY2021-21 Student Advisory Committee organized two student-led town halls to discuss and engage with the public on a variety of topics, including distance learning, student mental health, student engagement in an online setting, synchronous v. asynchronous learning, online platforms, reopening, standardized testing during distance learning, and more. The recordings of each can be found on the State Board's YouTube channel or viewed below:
Below is the full list of the 2020-21 Student Advisory Committee
| Name | School | Grad Year |
|---|---|---|
| Shayla Dell, co-chair | Duke Ellington HS | 2022 |
| Alex O'Sullivan, co-chair | BASIS DC | 2022 |
| Alyssa Richardson | Duke Ellington HS | 2022 |
| Anna Brosowsky | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Camille Jones | Capital City PCS | 2021 |
| Gary Murray | Dunbar High School | 2022 |
| Guilio Iacoviello | School Without Walls | 2021 |
| Haven Gilchrist | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Jean-Pierre Roberts | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Jenae Preddie | Bard High School Early College DC | 2023 |
| Jessi Thompson-Brown | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Julian Michael Wardlaw | D.C. International School | 2023 |
| Kayla Park | Washington Latin PCS | 2022 |
| Londyn Napper | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Lordes Weston | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Lucas Johnson | BASIS DC | 2022 |
| Reagan Allvin | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Shaniyah Robinson | Ballou Senior High School | 2022 |
| Tamia Murphy | Washington Leadership Academy | 2022 |
| Vance Gootman | School Without Walls HS | 2022 |
| Walker Price | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2021 |
| Winston Wardlaw | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Zion Smithen | McKinley Technology HS | 2022 |
2019-20 Student Advisory Committee
At the June 17, 2020 SBOE Public Meeting, Student Representatives Dayja Burton and Alex O'Sullivan, along with members of the SAC, presented a final report to the Board for consideration. The SAC met monthly over the course of the 2019-20 school year and focused their work on "Post-Secondary Preparation" and "Maximizing Productivity Within the Classroom." The Post-Secondary Preparation committee focused on how students feel that there should be a greater effort towards helping students navigate post-secondary options. This committee designed a survey to determine what students would need in order to feel prepared and supported, and recommendations include developing financial literacy and career classes, and increasing the number of counselors. The Maximizing Productivity in the Classroom committee worked towards examining in-class factors that could improve student learning. It identified four main areas of focus: access to learning, teaching and learning styles, relationship with teachers, and mental well-being of students and teachers. Additionally, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the implementation of District-wide distance learning, the SAC included a list of recommendations on how distance learning can be best implemented in the fall and addressed concerns for safety upon reopening of schools next school year.
Below is the full list of the 2019-20 Student Advisory Committee:
| Name | School | Grad Year |
|---|---|---|
| Dayja Burton, co-chair | McKinley Technology HS | 2020 |
| Alex O'Sullivan, co-chair | BASIS DC | 2022 |
| Abigail Quashie | BASIS DC | 2020 |
| Adam Soltani | School Without Walls | 2021 |
| Anna Brosowsky | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Ceon Dubose | Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering HS | 2020 |
| Chau Nguyen | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2021 |
| Chelsea Casarrubias | McKinley Technology HS | 2020 |
| Gabriel Madson | D.C. International School | 2020 |
| Hannah Dorosin | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2020 |
| Imani Horton | Duke Ellington School of the Arts | 2020 |
| Jackson Hall | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2021 |
| Jalen Gross | IDEA PCS | 2021 |
| Jeremiah McCollum | KIPP DC - College Preparatory Academy PCS | 2021 |
| Jessi Thompson-Brown | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Kaitlyn Towles | Anacostia High School | 2020 |
| Lauren Hadley | D.C. International School | 2020 |
| Londyn Napper | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Maya Gray | Benjamin Banneker HS | 2020 |
| Mendel Socolovsky | School Without Walls HS | 2020 |
| Micah Carter | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2020 |
| Nadine Beckford | Calvin Coolidge HS | 2020 |
| Reagan Allvin | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Sanaa Sanderson | BASIS DC | 2020 |
| Shayla Dell | Duke Ellington HS | 2022 |
| Tamia Murphy | Washington Leadership Academy | 2022 |
| Vance Gootman | School Without Walls HS | 2022 |
| Walker Price | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2021 |
| Zahir Hanson | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Alyssa Richardson | Duke Ellington HS | 2022 |
| Winston Wardlaw | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Zakhiya Graham | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Lordes Weston | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2022 |
| Jesse Holmes | Thurgood Marshall | 2020 |
| Guilio Iacoviello | School Without Walls | 2021 |
2018-19 Student Advisory Committee
At the June 19, 2019 SBOE Public Meeting, Student Representatives Tatiana Robinson and Marjoury Alicea, along with members of the SAC, presented a final report to the Board for consideration. The SAC met monthly over the course of the 2018-19 school year and focused their work on "Teacher Retention" & "Equity Across Schools." The Teacher Retention committee worked to create solutions to keep more teachers in schools, find the main reasons that teachers leave schools after a short period of time, and advocate and voice the ways in which erroneous retention rates affect students. The Equity Across Schools Committee focused on finding the real reasons behind the inequities in DC schools, examining the differences in school course offerings such as languages, extracurricular activities, college tours, and the quality of substitutes at different schools.
Below is the full list of the 2018-19 Student Advisory Committee:
| Name | School | Grad Year |
|---|---|---|
| Marjoury Alicea, co-chair | Capital City PCS | 2019 |
| Tatiana Robinson, co-chair | Frank W. Ballou HS | 2019 |
| Aaliyah Dick | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2019 |
| Aaron Spruill | Friendship Collegiate Academy HS | 2019 |
| Akhayla Reynolds | McKinley Technology HS | 2019 |
| Aleghzia Smith | Friendship Technology Preparatory HS | 2019 |
| Anna Brosowsky | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Arnedja Evans | Duke Ellington School of the Arts | 2020 |
| Ayodeji Okuleye | Washington Latin Public Charter School | 2019 |
| Chandler Nutall | School Without Walls HS | 2019 |
| Daniel Rodriguez | Benjamin Banneker HS | 2019 |
| Diana Shea | BASIS DC | 2019 |
| Emma Quigg | BASIS DC | 2019 |
| Hannah Dunn | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2019 |
| Hannah Dorosin | Woodrow Wilson HS | 2020 |
| Henry Addison Jr. | Benjamin Banneker HS | 2020 |
| Imani Horton | Duke Ellington School of the Arts | 2019 |
| Janae Chambers | Friendship Collegiate Academy HS | 2019 |
| Jayna Brown | Duke Ellington School of the Arts | 2019 |
| Jerome Foster II | Washington Leadership Academy | 2020 |
| Joseph Soltani | Eastern Senior High School | 2019 |
| Kasai Rogers | D.C. International School | 2020 |
| Kaya Myers | Thurgood Marshall Academy | 2019 |
| Khiya Derricott | Washington Latin PCS | 2019 |
| London Hart | SEED PCS | 2019 |
| Maya Woods-Arthur | Washington Latin PCS | 2019 |
| Maya Gray | Benjamin Banneker HS | 2020 |
| N'yana Martin | Thurgood Marshall Academy | 2019 |
| Raquel Robinson | Friendship Technology Preparatory HS | 2021 |
| Sifan Hunde | Benjamin Banneker HS | 2019 |
| Siraj Carter | Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC) | 2020 |
| Syamyia Beach | Frank W. Ballou HS | 2019 |
| Winston Wardlaw | D.C. International School | 2021 |
| Zachary Crouch | Benjamin Banneker HS | 2019 |
2017-18 Student Advisory Committee
At the May 16, 2018 SBOE Public Meeting, Student Representatives Tallya Rhodes and Tatiana Robinson, along with members of the SAC, presented a final report to the Board for consideration. The SAC met eight times over the course of the 2017-18 school year and selected two key topics that its members felt could be improved in the District’s public schools. The proposals submitted by the SAC focused on college readiness and equal access to educational opportunities in the District. Working in two teams, SAC members developed a peer-to-peer mentoring program for District students and built a resource website for students looking for guidance and insight into college and career opportunities.
Below is the full list of the 2017-18 Student Advisory Committee:
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Tallya Rhodes, Student Representative | H.D. Woodson HS |
| Tatiana Robinson, Student Representative | Ballou HS |
| Aaliyah Dick | Woodrow Wilson HS |
| Agustin Pereira Martinez | School Without Walls HS |
| Aniyah Fields | Thurgood Marshall Academy |
| Ayia Evans | Benjamin Banneker HS |
| Chandler Nutall | School Without Walls |
| Charlotte Mestrich | School Without Walls |
| Daniel Osmin Rodriguez | Benjamin Banneker HS |
| Davine Holsey | H.D. Woodson HS |
| De Jesus Ray Vincent Lagman | Benjamin Banneker HS |
| Diana Shea | BASIS DC |
| Dwight Harris | Ballou HS |
| Emilia Majersik | Woodrow Wilson HS |
| Emma K Quigg | BASIS DC |
| Hannah Dunn | Woodrow Wilson HS |
| Jamiah Hall | Roosevelt HS |
| Janae Chambers | Friendship Collegiate Academy |
| Jasmin Woodruff | Benjamin Banneker HS |
| Jerome Foster II | Washington Leadership Academy |
| John Carlos Garcia | Capital City Public Charter School |
| Marcia Bailey | Cesar Chavez PCS- Parkside |
| Menkhu-ta Whaley | Thurgood Marshall Academy |
| Natalie Seablom | Woodrow Wilson HS |
| Nathaniel Hutton | The Lab School |
| Zachary Crouch | Benjamin Banneker HS |
2016-17 Student Advisory Committee Final Report
In its second year, the Student Advisory Committee continued its mission to promote student voice within the District of Columbia Public Schools and public charter school systems. Student Representatives and SAC co-chairs Alex Dorosin and Jamiah Hall led the committee in writing a final proposal for a system promoting administrative accessibility and other improvements to the high school student experience.
The State Board of Education approved the Student Advisory Committee’s final report at its June 2017 public meeting.
2016-17 Student Advisory Committee
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Alex Dorosin, Student Representative | Woodrow Wilson HS |
| Jamiah Hall, Student Representative | Roosevelt HS |
| Tavian Southall | Thurgood Marshall Academy |
| Nathaniel Hutton | The Lab School |
| Jasmin Woodruff | Benjamin Banneker HS |
| Lucas Colella | Woodrow Wilson HS |
2015-16 Student Advisory Committee
By a unanimous vote in their first meeting, the Student Advisory Committee selected the topic of Teacher Accountability as their area of focus for the year. The SAC met four times over the course of the 2015-16 school year, with each meeting representing a distinct step in the process of developing a set of policy proposals for the State Board of Education. You can read the full final report here. At the State Board’s June public meeting, the final SAC report was presented and passed unanimously.
Below is the full list of the 2015-16 Student Advisory Committee:
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Brian Contreras, Student Representative | School Without Walls |
| Destinee Whittington, Student Representative | Richard Wright PCS |
| Joshua Adams | Friendship PCS – Tech Prep |
| Jack Nugent | School Without Walls |
| JaRhonda Roberts | Friendship PCS – Collegiate Academy |
| Nate Green | KIPP DC – College Prep |
| Natalie Seablom | Wilson HS |
| Mykaila Lofton | BASIS DC PCS |
| Alex Dorosin | Wilson HS |
