This article comes by way of The Sopris Stars, a new monthly youth publication powered by The Sopris Sun.
Editor’s note: Aurora Egan is a member of the GSHS Student Coalition
Students can feel less and less belonging at school.
At Glenwood Springs High School (GSHS), Dean of Culture Garret Peters and senior Star Hernandez gathered together to start Student Coalition, a club focused on raising student voices and improving the social and academic environment at school.
Through this club, Peters hopes to see more fun emerge at the school. He commends GSHS in preparation for life after high school and academic rigor, but worries that many at the school don’t feel a connection.
“I’d like to see a more inclusive school that feels welcoming,” Peters said, “where people really feel comfortable and want to spend their time.”
Similar coalitions are present at other high schools in the Roaring Fork School District, including Roaring Fork and Basalt. The Student Coalition is a leadership club that strives to make GSHS a better place for all students.
At GSHS, the coalition first began as a Student Advisory Board in 2024, with only invited students participating. During this period, the board discovered it was missing many other student voices. The voices that were present, Hernandez said, were students that were never late, did well academically and were very involved in school. Only giving these students a voice excluded those who might have struggled academically or who didn’t feel a sense of connection to the school, according to Hernandez.
This year, Student Coalition is a larger club, and any student interested is welcome to join. Students are able to come together and discuss problems they observe throughout the school and collaborate on solutions to fix these problems.
Hernandez had always enjoyed school, but had friends around her who struggled to find where they fit in and may have even developed an animosity towards school for that reason. In starting Student Coalition, Hernandez hopes all students find where they belong and thrive at GSHS.
Hernandez is optimistic that Student Coalition will improve attendance and encourage more involvement in clubs and activities among students. Although GSHS is a very diverse school, Hernandez said diversity isn’t typically seen in extracurriculars or advanced-placement classes.
“We’re hoping to have more students, especially Hispanic students, join more clubs and extracurriculars,” Hernandez said.
Both Hernandez and Peters hope that the Student Coalition will send the message to students that everyone belongs somewhere
at GSHS.
If you’re a GSHS student interested in joining the Student Coalition, the club meets during lunch every other Thursday in room 3001.