Superintendent's Student Leadership Council

2022-2023 Student Leadership Council Members

• Alina Richardson, Helen Cox High
• Jaelyn Stewart, Thomas Jefferson High
• Britney Espinoza, L. W. Higgins High
• Alysia Treece, John Ehret High
• Kaydence Leslie, Fisher Middle-High
• Raine Flatau, Thomas Jefferson High
• Andrea Chavez, John Ehret High
• Keionna Herrera, Grace King High
• Bryance Joseph, Helen Cox High
• Andy Le, East Jefferson High
• Kenira McGinnis, Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Dilan Fajardo, Riverdale High
• Angelle Uli, Riverdale High
• Khanh Ly, Bonnabel Magnet Academy
• Kelsey Loerwald, Fisher Middle-High
• Baylee Plaisance, Fisher Middle-High
• Melissa Hernandez, Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Drima Patel, Haynes Academy
• Blake Cohen, Grace King High
• Mia Wright, East Jefferson High
• Emma Grace Bui, Grace King High
• Brandon Young, Riverdale High
• Vaishnavi Kumbala, Haynes Academy
• Silvia Garcia, Riverdale High
• Stefanit Tewelde, Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Vernon Robiskie, Helen Cox High
• Taylor Williams, Haynes Academy
• Shirdariyon Williams, West Jefferson High

2022-2023 Student Leadership Council Meeting Dates

Student discussions and input are highly valued and member attendance at all council meetings is encouraged.

• October 20, 2022 at Helen Cox High
• December 8, 2022 at Thomas Jefferson High
• February 9, 2023 at East Jefferson High
• April 13, 2023 at Bonnabel Magnet Academy

Council Recaps

October 20: The Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council was led by Germaine Gilson, Chief District Affairs Officer. Before the meeting, Helen Cox High hospitality students served the council members breakfast, sponsored by Loretta’s Pralines.

Ms. Gilson started the meeting by sharing with students, “Being able to influence people in a positive way changes the world. Being able to work with people who aren’t like you changes the world. We are expecting world changers.” 

Superintendent Dr. James Gray then addressed the group. He asked the new council members what they expected the first council meeting to be like. Students shared they expected to discuss school specific challenges, issues that students were dealing with personally, and issues that were important to students across the district. Dr. Gray then shared, “It’s always good to understand that your world is bigger than the bubble you live in. What I like most about this group is that you come from so many different backgrounds. You come with your experiences and are also open-minded about the perspectives of other people’s worlds.” He shared how students have powerful voices and need to use their voices to make impactful changes. “Everyone can make a lot of money, but not everyone can make a difference,” he noted. He challenged council members to use their voice and make meaningful connections with other students and staff on campus in order to make positive changes. Dr. Gray shared about his background, growing up with two working parents and being motivated by teachers who pushed him to do more. “Because I had teachers who cared about me and pushed me to take advantage of opportunities, my life is completely different than it would have been otherwise.”

Students then took an individual leadership survey. The results will be used throughout this school year to aid students’ leadership development. Ms. Gilson then shared how she expects students to be leaders and shared ways in which students can do that, like including everyone, having a clear goal, holding people accountable, and being gracious. 

Students then spent time getting to know one another, interviewing each other using a set of questions like what they’re excited to accomplish this year, how they show school pride, and how many siblings they have. Students then introduced their other council members, sharing out the information they learned during their interviews.

During lunch, Ms. Gilson asked council members some questions about Jefferson Parish Schools, like how many employees, board members, and the most common languages spoken in our schools. As the largest and most diverse district in Louisiana, reviewing this information helps students understand the context in which the district operates.

After lunch, students took a tour of Helen Cox High School. Before leaving, students completed an exit survey and were asked how they would use Dr. Gray’s guidance to impact their school. Some of the students shared:

“Dr. Gray’s advice on how to properly interact with adults in order to discuss issues and make progress is guidance I will use moving forward.” 
“Dr. Gray’s guidance on approaching issues with an open mind and remembering to listen to everyone’s ideas and opinions before making a decision was spot on.”  

The remaining Student Council meetings this year will be at East Jefferson High, Bonnabel High, and Ehret/Fisher Middle-High.

December 8: The second Superintendent Student Council meeting began with a welcome from Germaine Gilson, Chief District Affairs Officer, where she introduced Superintendent Student Council member Raine Flatau. Flatau is a student from Thomas Jefferson School where the meeting was held, and she took the time to welcome her fellow student council members to her school.

Following the welcome and introductions was an Ideal School Day activity where the students were divided into groups of four and tasked with creating ideal school day scenarios. One person from each group reported their ideas to the rest of the group. Examples of some responses included: 

“We want to start the day with a positive bus ride by playing calming music, then begin the school day by stating affirmations.” 

“An ideal school would have community circles where students can talk to someone.”

“It would be ideal to have teachers that can help with mental health and arrange student checkups with a teacher after or between exams.” 

 “ An ideal classroom would be decorative,open, and colorful. Classrooms would also have a meditation section where a student can take a mental break.” 

Following this activity, the students engaged in an Understanding Mental Health: What Can I Do At My School session hosted by Rochelle Gautheir and Todd Cirillo, the district’s mental health counselors. “Mental health is simply a balance between the mind and the body. Keep that in mind,” said Todd Cirillo. He reviewed the difference between “having the blues'' and being clinically depressed. He explained that depression is manageable and comes through connection and conversation. While situational depression is a circumstance in which depression is more short term. The council separated into groups to discuss ideas to promote mental health awareness. Some of these ideas included: 

Creating a documentary featuring district students that helps other students see how close to home these issues are and how normal it is to have such feelings

Have adults share their own struggles with mental health which will create an open discussion with teachers about mental health and show students that adults struggle too 

Normalize mental health by messaging out mental health statistics 
Implementing mental health specific counselors in schools.
Arrange for designated times to have discuss issues with teachers
Send parents mindful, positive messages 

The group was then greeted by Dr. Gray where he began his conversation by addressing a comment regarding feeling as though there is a gap in communication between adults and students. “The age gap is not what makes people be able to relate to you; it is a mindset shift. I know many older people who are able to relate to younger people simply because their mindset is open to change. So this is a matter of mindset, rather than age gap. I encourage our teachers to have this mindset as well,” said Dr. Gray.  He also encouraged the students to sit down with teachers and have these conversations with them as to how they can tackle many of the social and emotional supports that they feel they are lacking.

The group then engaged in a rapid fire session with Dr. Gray where they were given an opportunity to ask questions, make comments, and propose solutions. Each student was asked to write down their question or comment on an index card, where Ms. Gilson would pull a few cards from a fish bowl. A few concerns that were brought to Dr. Gray’s attention included: 

Providing additional support to students who are still struggling academically 
Lack of counselors on school campuses 
Need for a designated place on campus to decompress

The group then participated in a leadership activity facilitated by Diane Jackson, the Program Director from the Slone Group. The discussion was focused on leadership communication and began with an activity where each student was handed a picture and instructed to place the pictures in chronological order. Once complete, the students were asked what tactics they used in order to accurately place the pictures. Jackson mentioned that the lesson in the activity was to become more comfortable asking for resources, implementing teamwork, communication, and flexibility. Following this activity, the meeting concluded with a tour of  Thomas Jefferson School. 

February 9: The second Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council meeting was led by Germaine Gilson, Chief District Affairs Officer. To start the meeting, we took a moment of silence for Jefferson Parish community. Then the students from  Ehret and Fisher welcomed everyone to “Fehret” as they have affectionately coined both schools Fisher and John Ehret school. Since they are housed on the same campus. 

Ms. Gilson shared the agenda. Next Jalen a student from Thomas Jefferson shared the idea of students lead and create a video encouraging students to not miss school. Abentisem is an issue that is affecting all students across the country including in Jefferson Parish.  This video would be a video created by and for students to encourage students to not be absent from school.

Then the Honorable Amanda C. Calogero, Judge Jefferson Parish Juvenille Court and Nancy Michel, Chief of the JPDA’s Victim/Witness Assistance Division led a presentation. 

Superintendent Dr. James Gray then addressed the students and shared recent successes from our 2022 state report card. “By showing growth, it provides more opportunities to you. And the more growth we have, the more people want to be a part of our success.” Dr. Gray expressed his gratitude for the students and their leadership, “We are thankful for having kids like you in our district. This is your work, not mine.” Students then got a chance to ask Dr. Gray questions, including high school accountability.

During lunch, students discussed chronic student absenteeism and reviewed data from their school to come up with proposed solutions. Upon their return from the winter break, students will create a plan to address absenteeism on their campus and assist the Jeremiah Group with their school’s voter registration drive. Students were also asked to text 10 people before they left with a reminder about Saturday’s election.

After lunch, students took a tour of East Jefferson High School. The remaining Student Council meetings this year will be at Ehret /Fisher Middle-High and Bonnabel High.  

April 13: The Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council meeting was led by Germaine Gilson, Chief District Affairs Officer. To start the meeting, we received a welcome from Bernard Hubbard. Then Ms. Rochelle Gauthier led the discussion on Calming, Listening and Focusing.

Ms. Gilson shared the agenda and meeting norms. Then Ms. Gilson led the discussion on How to transfer leadership to a new school/college where we discussed what that can look like for the next school year.

The student council then worked on video scripts for the attendance and anti-bullying campaign videos. These videos would be created by and for students to encourage students to not be absent from school or to limit and stop bullying. The students then toured Bonnabel’s campus.

Dr. Gray gave final remarks on how the year went for the student council and answered questions on the Efficiency and Infrastructure Plan. 

2021-2022 Student Leadership Council Members

• Eliaz Alexander, Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Kent Cambri, Fisher Middle-High
• Shirley Castillo, Grace King High
• Akyra Charles, Helen Cox High
• Faiza Filali, Haynes Academy
• Raine Flatau, Thomas Jefferson Academy
• Silvia Garcia, Riverdale High
• Adam Ghazzali, Riverdale High
• Bradlee Gross, Thomas Jefferson Academy
• Keionna Herrera, Grace King High
• Robayet Hossain, Haynes Academy
• Sania Islam, Haynes Academy
• Allie Johnson , Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Bryance Joseph, Helen Cox High
• Andy Le, East Jefferson High
• Kelsey Loerwald, Fisher Middle-High
• Luis Martinez, Riverdale High
• Tesiya McClary, Thomas Jefferson Academy
• Sophia Parigi, Thomas Jefferson Academy
• Ma'Kayla Parker, East Jefferson High
• Baylee Plaisance, Fisher Middle-High
• Mahir Rahman, Haynes Academy
• Alina Richardson, Helen Cox High
• KaShawn Smith, Grace King High
• Balseba Tewelde, Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Sefanit Tewelde, Patrick F. Taylor Academy
• Alysia Treece, John Ehret High
• Shirdariyon Williams, West Jefferson High

2021-2022 Student Leadership Council Meeting Dates

Student discussions and input are highly valued and member attendance at all council meetings is encouraged. Due to Hurricane Ida, the council will meet three times this school year (instead of four) with the Superintendent at various sites from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Transportation will be provided. All meeting attendees will adhere to the health and safety protocols outlined in our Start Strong Jefferson plan.

• December 15, 2021 at Grace King High School Library in Metairie 
• February 9, 2022 at the JP Schools Administration Building located at 501 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey 
• April 4, 2022 at the Paul Emenes Building located at 822 S. Clearview Parkway in Harahan 

Council Recaps

April 4: The final Superintendent’s Student Council meeting began with a warm welcome from Germaine Gilson, Chief of District Affairs. Followed by her introduction, Gilson introduced Superintendent Dr. James Gray. Dr. Gray opened with applauding the students on prioritizing helping others by taking the initiative to do a community service project during their last meeting. He also thanked them for their contributions and input during their council meetings and expressed the importance of uplifting others. “The point of these councils is to be able to have two-way communication with everyone,” he said “If you ever want to be a great person and great leader, it’s important to learn to build other people up and not just yourselves. I’m proud to see that you all understand this lesson, as I see this being implemented by you all choosing to invest your time for your meeting by reading to elementary students.” 

After Dr. Gray spoke, the students took a tour of Riverdale High School and then participated in a service project by reading to Jefferson Elementary School students.  On behalf of Dr. Gray and the Council, classroom books were donated to Jefferson’s Pre-K classes.  

February 9: The second Superintendent Student Council meeting began with a welcome from Germaine Gilson, Chief District Affairs Officer, where she introduced Superintendent Student Council member Raine Flatau. Flatau is a student from Thomas Jefferson School where the meeting was held, and she took the time to welcome her fellow student council members to her school.

Following the welcome and introductions was an Ideal School Day activity where the students were divided into groups of four and tasked with creating ideal school day scenarios. One person from each group reported their ideas to the rest of the group. Examples of some responses include: 

• “We want to start the day with a positive bus ride by playing calming music, then begin the school day by stating affirmations.” 
• “An ideal school would have community circles where students can talk to someone.”
• “It would be ideal to have teachers that can help with mental health and arrange student checkups with a teacher after or between exams.” 
•  “ An ideal classroom would be decorative,open, and colorful. Classrooms would also have a meditation section where a student can take a mental break.” 

Following this activity, the students engaged in an Understanding Mental Health: What Can I Do At My School session hosted by Rochelle Gautheir and Todd Cirillo, the district’s mental health counselors. “Mental health is simply a balance between the mind and the body. Keep that in mind,” said Todd Cirillo. He reviewed the difference between “having the blues'' and being clinically depressed. He explained that depression is manageable and comes through connections and conversation. While situational depression is a circumstance in which depression is more short term. The council separated into groups to discuss ideas to promote mental health awareness. Some of these ideas include: 

• Creating a documentary featuring district students that helps other students see how close to home these issues are and how normal it is to have such feelings
• Having adults share their own struggles with mental health, which will create an open discussion with teachers about mental health and show students that adults struggle too.
• Normalize mental health by messaging out mental health statistics

• Implementing mental health specific counselors in schools
• Arrange for designated times to discuss issues with teachers
• Send parents mindful, positive messages 

The group was then greeted by Dr. Gray where he began his conversation by addressing a comment regarding feeling as though there is a gap in communication between adults and students. “The age gap is not what makes people be able to relate to you; it is a mindset shift. I know many older people who are able to relate to younger people simply because their mindset is open to change. So this is a matter of mindset, rather than age gap. I encourage our teachers to have this mindset as well,” said Dr. Gray.  He also encouraged students to sit down with teachers and have these conversations with them as to how they can tackle many of the social and emotional support that they feel they are lacking.

The group then engaged in a rapid fire session with Dr. Gray where they were given an opportunity to ask questions, make comments, and propose solutions. Each student was asked to write down their question or comment on an index card, where Ms. Gilson would pull a few cards from a fish bowl. A few concerns that were brought to Dr. Gray’s attention included: 

• Providing additional support to students who are still struggling academically 
• Lack of counselors on school campuses 
• Need for a designated place on campus to decompress

The group then participated in a leadership activity facilitated by Diane Jackson, the Program Director of the Slone Group. The discussion was focused on leadership communication and began with an activity where each student was handed a picture and instructed to place the pictures in chronological order. Once completed, the students were asked what tactics they used in order to accurately place the pictures. Jackson mentioned that the lesson in the activity was to become more comfortable asking for resources, implementing teamwork, communication, and flexibility. Following this activity, the meeting concluded with a tour of  Thomas Jefferson School.

December 15: The first Superintendent’s Student Council meeting began with Germaine Gilson, Chief District Affairs Officer, instructing the students to describe themselves on a sheet of paper without using their name, ethnicity, school, or age. 

“I love history and particular political turmoil. I hope to never stop bettering myself as a person.” 

“I'm a leader and student athlete. I am also a proud immigrant and love wearing lipstick on everything.”  

“I'm currently taking dual enrollment classes and plan to have my associate degree by the end of my senior year.” 

“I’m known as Madam President. I love indie rock music and am on the cross country team, although I probably would’ve quit if it weren’t for the people on that team. People never really know what I’m going to say next. I hope to join the Peace Corps when I grow up.” 

“I am from a small town called Lafitte. My goal in life is to make the world a better place. I love math and can do it all day and every day. I hope to one day become a labor and delivery nurse.” 

Ms. Gilson concluded the activity,stating “You are more than just your name, your ethnicity, your age, or even your school. I want you to know who you truly are and realize that there are people in this world who need what you have to offer.”

The students then viewed a presentation by Rochelle Gauthier and Todd Cirillo, two mental health professionals who work with JP Schools to foster positive mental and emotional well-being for students and staff. The students received information about mental health, how to recognize the difference between depression and anxiety, and were taught various exercises that can be used to cope with such experiences. The students then engaged in an activity where they were taught effective ways to cope when encountering feelings of anxiety or depression. “This is an exercise that you can do to bring yourself to the present,” said Ms. Gauthier. 

The mental health professionals also explained what depression and anxiety symptoms look like, as well as what separates clinical depression from situational depression. “One in five adolescents have some sort of mental health diagnosis. Depression and anxiety are most common amongst high school students, which is why we want to focus on providing resources for these diagnoses specifically. This is normal and there's nothing wrong with that. We always want to normalize these feelings, because they are in fact normal. With this in mind, our goal is to see how we can be supportive,” said Ms. Gauthier.  

The Superintendent's Student Council spent the remainder of the time engaging with Superintendent Dr. James Gray after he spoke in depth about being in leadership roles for the right reasons and emphasizing how a strong work ethic can open a door to a promising career path. He also spoke a great deal about how important decision-making is as a leader.  Dr. Gray stated, “As a leader, when you are trying to do what's right for the entire population, you must be so grounded in who you are as a person. It’s important to take everyone's well-being into account, and make sound decisions based on what those needs are, all while being sure not to make an emotional decision. As superintendent of Jefferson Parish, I rely on my experience to make sure that you receive a quality education.”