The first day of school; for some it’s exciting, for others it’s the start of just another year. After the same usual struggle of finding parking, you take a look around, expecting nothing different, only to find two arches marking the main entrance, and construction workers putting in turf and concrete benches in tapped off areas. These small add-ons to campus are cute, but what is the reasoning behind it? 

Imagine you’re in a hot desert. The heat makes the people around you multiply, seemingly thousands of people are surrounding you. All of them go in separate directions in search of the best deal. This isn’t your average desert; this is the new Outlet Mall.

The racket swings up as the ball is tossed in the air. The whip of his wrist creates power from his body as he makes contact with the ball and skids past the opponent. The crowd goes wild. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Krishna Bhadrirju, a 9th grader at Jenks High School. Bhadrirju has been playing tennis since he was 7 years old. This is an incredible accomplishment for Bhadrirju. The #1 and 2 on our JHS team are the top 3 in the state. Being right below them as a freshman is a big opportunity. This effort has paid off, Bhadrirju is already ranked 3rd on the team lineup. The work Bhadrirju puts in clearly is represented by his rank. But when he started, he wasn’t playing competitively, he was just having fun.

As a growing generation that’s engaged in our various communities, something students may not know is that anyone has the right to speak at school board meetings. School board meetings are open to the public. Although it may not be widely advertised, if you check out the Jenks Public School Board of Education page, you’ll find information on your personal school board member, upcoming meeting dates/times, how to make a public comment or hearing of the public, and meeting minutes from the past year.

For those looking for a guide to speaking at a Jenks Public School Board meeting, this is just the article for you. I have divided this article into sections: School Board 101, Making a Public Comment vs a Public Hearing, Common Misunderstandings, How Student Voices Make an Impact, Tips for Speaking, Post Speaking, Building Relationships, and Advocacy, and “What’s Next.”

After writing an extensive article about speaking at Jenks Public School Board meetings, here is a list of 10 things to know before speaking at a Jenks Public School Board Meeting.