PELHAM – Through the Principal’s Advisory Board, a select group of 18 students at Pelham High School have been charged with helping principal Amanda Wilbanks keep her finger on the pulse of the student body.

The group meets once a month to provide feedback to Wilbanks about school activities, to make suggestions for change and to let her know what they love about the school. At the board’s lateset meeting on Oct. 16, students provided feedback about all of the homecoming week activities.

“These are students who are very involved,” Wilbanks said. “They were chosen because they cast a wide net – they’re academics, athletes and club members and they give me a good idea of what’s going on among the student body. I instruct them to go out and look for things that need to be fixed or procedures that aren’t working. Sometimes it’s something that can be fixed immediately and other times it’s something that we work on over time.”

Throughout the year they also provide input on prom, the annual state of the school address to the school board, and most recently the school’s new bell schedule and the Green and Gold program.

“Change can be hard for anyone regardless of age, but they dug into the bell schedule like young professionals,” Wilbanks said. “They weighed the pros and cons, attended meetings with the superintendent and the committee formed to make the new schedule and they added value. They were so willing to sit down and make changes and they took it very seriously.”

PHS Senior Tristan Ashley has been on the board for two years. He said he wanted to join the board to help make a positive impact on the school. One of the events Ashely said he is most proud of was National School Shooting Awareness Day that the board helped host last school year.

“We played icebreaker games, there was a speaker and we participated in a skit that demonstrated how many kids in the room would probably die in a school shooting,” he said. “We had everyone close their eyes and we went around whoever was tapped on the shoulder had to go down as if they were shot, and then everyone opened their eyes and looked around at who all would’ve died.”

Ninth-grader Avery Fuller said the Principal’s Advisory Board has really helped her feel involved and a part of the school.

“I like how we can share our ideas and suggest new events for students to participate in,” she said. “It’s been a fun experience so far and it’s definitely something that I want to continue throughout high school.”

Wilbanks started the advisory board last school year after being promoted from assistant principal to principal.

“As an assistant principal, I felt a good connection with the students because I interacted with them on a daily basis, but as I moved to principal I realized that I wasn’t getting their input as much as I wanted,” Wilbanks said.

The board is open to students in ninth through 12^th grade. Wilbanks said about four students from each grade are chosen.

To apply, students must complete an application and submit an essay. Teachers, counselors and administrators select the students who will serve on the board. Students selected must also be in good standing with their grades, attendance and behavior.