Student government has made some changes to this school year by bringing in Brent Mattix, the new teacher in charge of the program. So far, he has created a more individual and student-based classroom environment that is continuing to influence each department and how they run. This gives each student more freedom, allowing student government to create each event with how the entire student body envisioned it.  

Mattix was the first one to take the initiative in including special needs students into their program or any regular classes. The bringing in of different students from last year, along with giving each student the chance to input their opinion, makes more students more likely to participate.

I like the fact that student government is taking the lead and including special needs students into their program. This will hopefully influence more programs to join in on including more students with special needs.

The new policy that Mattix has introduced has brought more energy and excitement into the activities and is continuing to encourage the students to work harder. The special needs students also bring joy to each project and groups they work with, creating a more fun environment by engaging with each student.  I know how happy I get when they come say hi to me, so I love the fact that others will get a chance to experience this feeling.  

I believe that more programs should include the special needs students into their classes because they should be treated just like any other student. Being allowed to work and be a part of the different departments in student government provides a sense of school spirit and pride that they get from helping our school plan activities that everyone is apart of. It also brings in students with fresh eyes and more unique ideas because of all the clashes of personalities.

Having more students plan events will give more student body representation, allowing more students to have the chance to speak their opinion and put their input into the events that directly affect us as students. This in turn will create a bigger appeal for all events because more students’ voices are being heard.

The special needs students seem to be fitting in well and working cooperatively with all of the other students. Having the students work so well with each other is another reason why more classes should include special needs students. I believe it will teach students how to work cooperatively with different types of students and personalities. The special needs kids will also benefit from working with a variety of students, giving them more experience for their encounters they will face in the real world after high school.

Student government is just one example of what the rest of the school could be like. The special needs students have influenced all of student government to work together even more, so they can produce the best ideas and events for the rest of the school giving the majority what the want.