Op-Ed: The Need for Student-Led Assemblies

Former President Joe F. ‘22 and Vice-President Henry S. ‘22 lead an assembly, Sept. 2021. Student-led assemblies have the potential to improve the public speaking abilities of the students and strengthen school spirit. (Da Ping Luo)

The answer to improving the confidence of student public speakers and strengthening school spirit? Student-led assemblies have the potential to create a space for students in upper divisions to voice their opinions and further empower them to take control over their own education.

Assemblies are an essential aspect of every school division that help promote unity within each respective community. They foster communication and a healthy culture between faculty and students. At all school assemblies, students from each division come together as a group in order to share ideas and listen to announcements. 

Currently, both faculty and students play a role in leading meetings, although the faculty ultimately determines the structure of each assembly. There are numerous opportunities throughout the year and during each assembly for students to give announcements and be involved.

This year, assemblies have afforded students an opportunity to stand up in front of the upper school and make a brief announcement.  For example, students may use this time to publicly recognize another student or teacher for their contributions to the community or make an announcement regarding a specific club or sports team. Often, special guests come in to speak about their work, purpose, and other specific topics prompting deeper discussions.

“The school strives to handle assemblies in a unique way and has changed the structure and subject matter to encourage broader opportunities for students to learn after the assembly has ended.”

Immediately following the assemblies, upper school students meet with their advisory groups. During these advisory periods, students take time to discuss the subject matter of the assembly in depth and personally apply it to their daily lives. These smaller, more intimate settings foster deeper reflections and space for critical thinking. Additionally, advisory gives students the opportunity to work collaboratively with classmates during activities and competitions between groups. Advisory competitions take place throughout the year encouraging long term collaboration.

The school strives to handle assemblies in a unique way and has changed the structure and subject matter to encourage broader opportunities for students to learn after the assembly has ended. They have evolved to meet the students' needs, and all divisions should continue to revisit assembly structure to ensure a more positive collaborative learning environment and a place for students to be heard. 

In particular, the school would benefit from allowing students to take a more active role in leading, shaping, and designing student-led assemblies. If the entire student body has the opportunity to be represented, and the faculty is still able to ensure the productive use of assembly time, schools would benefit from implementing this approach.

Student-led assemblies could be used as opportunities for students to express their leadership, interests, creativity, and school spirit. Granting students an increased freedom to structure their assemblies the way that the student body wants could be empowering and entertaining. By providing students with an opportunity for increased level of creative control over their own learning and teaching in a slightly larger setting could help all students grow together as one community. 

Students would have an opportunity to speak to their peers more sincerely and in a larger group. Various rituals and traditions might develop by these more student-led assemblies if they were to occur more regularly. Surely their shape and purpose would evolve into something worth experiencing. It would be my hope that it would encourage an increased appreciation for different interests and a deeper sense of school spirit.