The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, a student-led board made up of alumni from Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties’ STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Leadership Training program, hosted its annual Superintendent’s School Forum on Thursday, February 9 at Suncoast Technical College. Seventy-two teens from seven local high schools held open discussions with school district officials on key educational issues in an effort to improve Sarasota County Schools. Each year, the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council works closely with the Superintendent of Schools to plan and facilitate an annual forum. Ten student representatives from each of the Sarasota County public high schools engage in impactful discussions with district officials around student-identified issues such as communication; innovative instruction strategies; future planning; and more. Following these discussions, attendees have the opportunity to participate in a Question & Answer session with the Superintendent of Schools. Forum participants were able to speak directly with Interim Superintendent, Dr. Allison Foster who fielded important questions from the student body.Over the next month, the Council will be reviewing the recommendations and comments made during the Superintendent’s Forum to compile and present a report to the office of the Superintendent. As this event has resulted in real policy change in our school system in years past, teens in attendance remain hopeful that their voices will serve to implement the changes they’d like to see in their schools. To learn more about the opportunities offered through the STAR Leadership Training program, visit theclubsdc.org or contact Libby Exline, Leadership Programs Specialist at Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, at 941-366-3911.