Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Forum News: A New Look

The forum has changed again!

To make it easier to see, the whole color format of the Forum has changed!

To check it out, visit the forum through the right link!

Recap of Today's Meeting: 1/23/08

Today's meeting saw the presenting and passing of many important proposals.

The first proposal presented was the Community Service Reform. Sam Guss, who wrote the proposal, explained all of the important points. After it was discussed, the proposal easily with a large majority of voters.

The second proposal was presented by Ryan Mason, the Exhibition Database proposal, which was also passed.

The final proposal presented was by Brandon Lewis, which was the Athletic Funding Proposal. Because it wasn't finished, a discussion was held, with large support being in favor of the proposal. The final, official proposal will be presented at the next meeting.

To view or comment on any of these proposals, please visit the SAV Forum's "Proposal Center".

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Forum News: New Proposals!

In the SAV Forum, two new proposals have been put forward: The Athletic Funding Proposal and the Two-Round Exhibition Proposal!

To view and comment on them, log in to the Forum and click on New Proposals.

Remember, forum link is on the right side of the blog.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

The Forum's New Look

In its first full functioning day, the SAV Forum has a brand new look, inspired by the PS3!

Thanks go to 11th grader Tyler Scrima for the awesome SAV logo, posted on both the blog and the forum.

To see the new look, visit and signup at the Forum, through the link to the right!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Notes about the forums...

As previously stated, the SAV has created a forum, the link of which is on the right side of the blog. The forum was created to provide the students, teachers, and even parents a voice in what is happening in our school.

The forum is register-required, so those who would like to view the forum and discuss things will need to register. It will take less than a minute.

We hope the forum becomes another avenue for students to use in reaching the SAV, along with the email, and simply talking to your grade's representative.

We Have A Forum!

The SAV is advancing further in providing students more ways to find about what's going on, and discuss the issues they want.

Visit our blog here:

http://z15.invisionfree.com/Official_SAV_Forum/index.php

Signing up takes seconds, and you will be able to easily discuss all the goings-on at SAV!

Live from SAV Meeting 1/16/08

Agenda for today:

1) Follow up for Security Camera discussion

2) SAV Blog Issue

3) Proposals to vote on
Exhibition Database Proposal
Community Service Proposal

4) Open Discussion

Evan Wood in the 8th grade discussed his appearance at the School Leadership Team Meeting, with Josh Marks and Middle School Director Stacy Goldstein. According to him, the same discussion was held as the SAV meeting last week.

Sam Guss is discussing the importance of student output in regards as the Security Camera issue. He also mentions that rules regarding vandalism were never truly spoken, with prosecution held first.

Ryan Mason , a newly appointed member, talked about the need of alternatives for those who are against the camera issue.

Brandon Lewis suggested a poll of the entire school, to be administered by the elected officials of SAV.

The next issue made was about the SAV blog itself. Comments made in "Live From..." blog post. Many members believe that the SAV blog should not be censored and that the administration and the parents should not be involved. Phil Ensler, however, pointed out that placing a password on the blog would be beneficial in the long-term.

Mr. Fanning arrived at the meeting to discuss the issue. He talked about the parents' point of view about the blog. The parents think that the comments made could possible damage the school's reputation. He enjoys the idea of the blog, but feels the comments should be password-protected to keep from the public. One alternative brought up was the creation of a forum for the students to make comments.

Time ran up, so the proposals and the continuation of the discussion will continue at next week's meeting.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Some New Stuff...

Just some new updates...

For appearing at 5 SAV meetings, 12th grader Calvin and 11th grader Ryan have recieved voting privileges in all SAV meetings, basically making them members. Congrats guys!

The hot topic right now is the 4th Floor Camera Issue, and SAV is making their case to Mr. Fanning this Wednesday. If YOU have something to say, leave it in the "Live From..." post, and it will be taken into account.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Live from SAV Meeting 1/9/08

Mr. Fanning arrived at today's SAV meeting to discuss the issue of the 4th floor camera. According to his speech, 10th grade girls approached him about sexual harassment occurring in their grade. In order to protect the rights of the students, he placed a camera on the 4th floor above Ms. Godshall's room. The camera was active from November to Christmas time. Another issue that required the need for a camera was graffiti and other property discussion. Mr. Fanning expressed the need for solutions, instead of just opposition. He said that he would be very open about changing decisions he made if a better solution was provided. By the end, he suggested that SAV gain a consensus by spending a few weeks discussing the camera before he re-addresses the issue at a later time.

One issue that SAV members had with the camera is the lack of notice and the lack of say the SAV had in the decision. He replied by saying that the students' protection required immediate reaction, and that he needed to make a quick decision.

After he explained the reasons for the camera, SAV members had the opportunity to discuss their feelings on the matter. Members including Ali Jo Harris and Sam Guss explained that SAV should have received notice in regards to the putting up the camera, whether it was before and after. The idea of cameras received a mixed reaction, with some completely opposed, while others expressed no problem without it.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Coming Soon...

The first SAV survey will be coming to email boxes very soon!

Evry once in awhile, we'll send out a survey to find out what the students feel about the current issues being discussed in SAV. That way, you'll be apart of the action, even if you're not at the meeting!

Expect one very soon. If you want one, leave your email address on this post!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

We have a Website!!

Thanks to the amazing Carrie Staples, we now have a space on the official SOF website.

You can either go to the website and on the left you will see SAV, or you can follow the link: http://www.sofechalk.org/group_profile_view.aspx?id=ecb96499-e53b-490c-8861-2d4adcc83ce1

Thanks again to Carrie and the SOF Tech Chairs Maddy and Brandon!