District 88 Superintendent Student Advisory Committee provides opportunity for student voice, inclusion

At District 88, one of our top priorities is to connect with all students to develop in each child a sense of belonging and encourage him or her to find success. As part of this focus on inclusion, I have implemented a Superintendent Student Advisory Committee to hear directly from our pupils.

I’m honored and privileged to lead District 88 and serve as the 10th Superintendent, and I’m committed to being accessible, inclusive, collaborative and transparent. The Student Advisory Committee is one initiative to help meet that goal. The committee provides students with a seat at our administrative table and an opportunity to have their voices heard to help shape the future direction of the district.

The committee is comprised of students from Addison Trail and Willowbrook, who offer diverse backgrounds and perspectives. At District 88, we have about 40 languages and more than 30 countries represented among our families, and almost half of our nearly 4,000 pupils speak a language other than English at home. We know embracing that diversity will lead to success in the classroom and beyond and will allow us to accomplish our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement. Below are the members of the committee.

Addison Trail: Seniors Roohana Amin, Enzo Ciaccia, Madelyn Ford, Mateo Gomez and Lindsay Stevenson

Willowbrook: Senior Penelope DelValle, sophomore Natalia Garcia-Avila, junior Neeraja Kumar, senior Emma Rattana, senior Eric Veal Jr. and senior Imani Ward

The committee met for the first time on Sept. 13, and we will meet every other month throughout the school year. We discussed our past efforts to establish an inclusive environment for all students, as well as our future plans. We also discussed what is going well at the buildings and what could be improved, including policy changes. I thank the committee members for their insight and dedication, and I look forward to working together to continue to improve our schools.

With District 88 Pride,
Jean Barbanente, Ed.D.
District 88 Superintendent