When we give students the space and encouragement to use their voice and take on leadership roles, they model leadership for the next generation of Field students and set a tone with this subtle act of advocacy, support, and generosity. Student Life Coordinator and History Teacher Aaron Bachmann shares some incredible stories of students taking the lead and making a difference inside our school and out in the larger community. Read more below!
Despite having worked in education for almost two decades, I often joke with my students that I self-identify as a “recovering attorney” rather than a history teacher. Besides convincing me that I was meant to be in the classroom rather than the courtroom, law school and my legal career exposed me to the Supreme Court’s constitutional jurisprudence and the intriguing figures at the heart of those cases. Of the many individuals connected to prominent constitutional cases, one I think of regularly as a teacher is Mary Beth Tinker. Tinker was a high school student in Des Moines, Iowa, who, along with her brother and other classmates, wanted to show their support for a truce in the Vietnam War. To do so, they planned to wear black armbands to school as a form of silent protest. As Tinker arrived at school wearing her armband, school administrators told her to remove it; when she refused, she was suspended.
Tinker’s parents sued the school district for violating their student’s right of expression. After several years and appeals, the case made its way to the Supreme Court, which issued its now-famous ruling in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in 1969. In finding for Tinker, the Court established a landmark rule upholding the rights of free speech and expression for students. While the Court wrote the seminal opinion, it was Mary Beth Tinker, leading her friends in a protest, who compelled it to act.
Mary Beth Tinker’s inspiring story demonstrates the incredible power of student voice and student leadership on school campuses. Students can change the world like Mary Beth Tinker did when they share their ideas, critiques, and dreams with their school community. And yet, many students may not feel empowered to speak or to take action in their schools. Whether due to social pressures, concerns over school censorship or discipline, lack of institutional support, or simply being drowned out amongst a sea of other voices, students often do not share their new ideas or grab hold of the mantle of leadership.
The Field School sees student voice and leadership differently. The faculty and community here create an environment that nurtures and promotes student voice and leadership, not just because it is the right thing to do for the students themselves, but because it makes our school a richer and more interesting place to learn. Amongst the many norms we practice as a community is the concept of “speaking your truth.” At Field, students are encouraged to share their ideas and values, both inside the classroom and out in the world.
Take, for example, Jill ‘26 and her campaign to reform our Student Government elections process. In her freshman year, Jill participated in an internship with the D.C. Board of Elections during Field’s January Intersession program. Throughout this internship, Jill learned a lot about election reform efforts and grew interested in applying what she had learned to our elections at Field. Upon returning from her internship, Jill met with me and shared an incredible PowerPoint presentation she had created about the benefits of employing a ranked-choice voting system in school elections. While we had just implemented a similar system at Field, Jill saw the potential for further improvements.
Specifically, she wanted the school to reconsider student campaigns, not just the election processes. To that end, she proposed a Q&A panel discussion of student-submitted questions for candidates in addition to their speeches. Last year we conducted a test run of this process, with Jill as the moderator, for our Student Co-Executive election, which resulted in a more substantive and inclusive debate than what a speech alone could deliver. This year, we are incorporating a panel discussion in all Student Government elections, middle school and upper school alike. This development is the culmination of one student stepping forward, advocating for what they believe, and applying it to make change at the school.
Leadership appears outside of the wider umbrella of Student Government, too. Three years ago, Ella ‘25 took her interest in medicine and her committed desire to become a doctor to found the Student-Led Medical Club. Within weeks of creating this club, Ella proposed the club’s first initiative: a blood drive. For the next several months, Ella and her fellow club members worked tirelessly to advertise donation times, recruit donors and volunteers, educate the community about blood donation needs, and work through the meticulous details of cooperating with the American Red Cross. The first drive was a big hit, and Field has just completed its third annual blood drive this past week, once again spearheaded by Ella.
Spurred by the success of the blood drive, Ella looked for other openings for leadership and advocacy tied to her love of medicine and discovered an important partnership opportunity as the School aimed to better educate its students about the dangers of fentanyl. Together with the school administration, Ella and her team created a presentation that they shared with upper school students about the dangers of opioids, how to effectively use Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses, and where to find this life-saving medication in the school. This is critical information for teens to know in our society today, and the impact of that message is only heightened when it comes from a peer.
Jill and Ella’s stories are just two examples of students at Field who have stepped forward and made their voices heard. Many other activities and student union leaders have impacted our school community in positive ways, too. Student voice and student leadership work hand in hand, and Field empowers its students to seek out those opportunities at every turn. While education is often fixated upon grades, Field aims to celebrate the aspiring poets who share their verses at the school assembly, the captains who hype their teammates in the locker room, and the students who finally dare to raise their hands in class for the very first time, even more.
I want to close with one final story of the power of student voice and leadership, this time regarding members of our Student Government team. Of course, Student Government is the obvious place for student leadership; they are, in fact, elected to lead their peers. However, the leadership I witnessed this past January at the Middle School Winter Dance was inspiring. Amidst a crowd of boisterous middle schoolers, upper school students Ben ‘25, Joseph ‘25, and Ryan ‘26 helped 6th graders construct homemade snowglobes and assisted 7th graders as they chose toppings at the hot chocolate bar. Sure, they are leaders of the student body, but on this night they used their voices more subtly and personally. They spent the evening interacting with students far younger than themselves, ensuring that every middle school student saw what it meant to be a welcoming member of our community. They modeled leadership for the next generation of Field students and set a tone with this subtle act of advocacy, support, and generosity.
I think Mary Beth Tinker would be proud.
