By Dylan Fair
Staff Writer
Principal Ben Dale and student body president senior Iktae Park formed the Mira Costa Principal’s Leadership Council on March 1 to improve collaboration among major student organizations and increase student involvement in the school.
Dale and Park believe that by giving student leaders a voice in decisions made by the administration, it can create greater representation for the majority of students. With increased student input, Dale and Park believe that they can facilitate improvements that both reflect the needs of the student body and are supported by the principal.
“Our first meeting was very informative, due to new access to dialogue with students,” Dale said. “We discussed topics such as AP’s, technology, our status as a California Distinguished School, eighth grade orientation, and I walked out with multiple new ideas.”
The council consists of 12 student members, as well as Dale. These students are leaders from within Student Government, band, drama, choir, People Attaining Complete Equality (PACE), La Vista, Mustang Morning News, yearbook, Model U.N. orchestra, and both boys and girls sports. Meetings are held once a month to discuss a variety of school-wide issues.
“What makes the PLC different from other governing organizations is the involvement of other student bodies besides ASB,” council member junior Adina Luo said. “Every aspect of the campus is involved in the council. With so many different perspectives present we can really present a clear point of view.”
The second purpose is to make students more aware of administrative decisions. Dale and Park would like the council to strengthen collaboration among student organizations. They hope that this will lead to a more efficient mechanism by which to run and manage events.
The PLC has already begun to address the topic of properly integrating eighth graders during their first year of high school. The council plans to go to local middle schools to try to provide preliminary information and make the transition to high school easier. It also hopes to use this visit as a chance to identify future leaders in school organizations.
“Going to schools such as Hermosa Valley and Manhattan Beach Middle School allows the students there to build a stronger base to allow students to excel during their years at Mira Costa,” Park said. “This includes preparing certain kids to take on leadership positions after graduation from middle school.”
The council is also discussing decisions that will affect the 2011-12 school year, including creating more student-run events and awards presented by students for students. These events and awards are still in the early stages after two meeting.
“The student voice allows issues to be corrected and innovation to be made, which is very helpful to me as the principal,” Dale said. “Just as important, I want the members of this council to lead the school with me. We’re going to talk about the school as a business; in addition, I plan to have members see how the school operates and how it acts as a whole.”
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