On Nov. 12, the high school community gathered for the seniors’ Issue Deliberation discussions. The 45-minute block of advisory was devoted to student-led discussions on relevant political and social issues. Organized by the history department, the event gave seniors the opportunity to research, prepare and facilitate constructive conversations on a variety of topics, ranging from gun laws to artificial intelligence.
Students filled out a form to select their topic and were assigned to their respective groups. According to history teacher Mark Buckley, the deliberations were designed to be both educational and student-focused. The goal of the program was to strengthen senior leadership skills, while also fostering healthy discussion practices among students.
“We really do like the idea of making it a very student-centered thing where the seniors take ownership over the discussion and lead other people through it,” Buckley said. “We also want people to be able to self-select into topics.”
This year, the department shifted from multiple small sessions throughout the semester to a single-day event that took place during advisory blocks. Buckley added that this change was made because they found that when spreading discussions across Lunch and CT periods, attendance tapered off over time.
Seniors worked in groups of two or three to create informational packets that contained background on their issue and multiple proposals to address it. These proposals were complete with arguments to support as well as oppose them, with the aim of allowing participants to bounce off one another easily.
“It can be very complex and challenging content,” Buckley said. “But I remember going into one [a discussion] and seeing some freshmen weigh in and speak up. I was very pleased by the group facilitators I saw… they knew how to come up with additional questions and engage others.”
Senior Alex Bushman, who co-led a session on college accessibility, said the experience deepened his understanding of the issue and broadened his perspective.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about the ins and outs of college affordability,” Bushman said. “But through my research, I was able to learn more about why it’s an issue and the potential ways to solve it. It’s really difficult because there are always pros and cons throughout everything.”
Seniors had about three to four classes to prepare for their session, but Bushman noted that additional time would have been beneficial for finalizing his work. Despite these challenges, seniors presented proposals that prompted participation.
One such participant was sophomore Megan Poretsky, who attended a deliberation on gun laws led by seniors Ori Ben Nun, Sammi Krantz and Coby Schlactus. To Poretsky, hearing a variety of opinions made the experience special. She believes the deliberation program is worth continuing.
“It’s a great opportunity for the seniors to spread information and study something,” Poretsky said. “It also keeps students informed about issues. Hearing different opinions is really important, not just ones you agree with.”
