School committee student representatives Josue Castellon and Jimmy Merino took center stage at last week’s meeting as they discussed the results of a recent survey of Chelsea High School students.
“Over the past several months, we have released a survey to Chelsea High students surveying them on their personal experiences at Chelsea High School,” said Merino. “Our report is structured into two main sections – factors that contributed to student success and areas of concern for students.”
The report is based on the top three choices in each category, and is broken down to include additional data, as well as student quotes.
“The survey received about 437 responses from students at Chelsea High School out of 1,656 students,” said Merino.
The survey was open for about three weeks, and Merino said there were a fairly equal number of responses from each grade level at the school.
“Regarding factors that contribute to student success, the top three identified by students are clubs and activities, a sense of belonging, and post-secondary success,” said Merino.
The survey also showed that the most important factor in fostering a welcoming school environment was the importance of positive teacher-student relationships, Merino said.
The two top issues that were selected as areas that could be improved at the high school were bathroom and safety issues and school attendance-related issues and in-school support, Merino said.
“Our survey serves as a crucial tool for understanding student perspectives and driving positive change within Chelsea High School,” said Castellon. “We have met with principal (Obed) Morales about our findings, and we are excited to work with him and the rest of the administration in improving the Chelsea High School community. We encourage next year’s student representatives to use this data as a foundation to continue these conversations.”
Committee members and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Almi Abeyta thanked the student representatives for their work on the survey.
“It takes a lot of courage to bring some of the topics that you did to the table,” said committee member Claryangeliz Covas Caraballo. “Not just to the authority figures, but also to bring some of these key topics to your peers.”