Holyoke High students describe ‘student summit’ work and national presentation

Students and staff at Holyoke High School presented a detailed update on the district’s student‑led “student summit,” telling the School Committee on Nov. 3 that the event has evolved from a single convening into a recurring, school‑wide process that informs curriculum and culture.

Samantha, a senior, said the ambassadors meet weekly during a reach block and aim to “create a sense of belonging for all students attending the HHS campus.” Several students described learning walks—student and adult teams that visit classrooms to analyze engagement, reading and writing using the HPS walkthrough tool—and faculty “fishbowl” sessions in which teachers observe student‑facilitated discussions.

“We presented at a national symposium in New Orleans and were able to show how our student summit worked,” said Wilfred, one of the students who attended the conference. Assistant Principal Mike Cotto, who traveled with the students, told the committee, “It was incredibly inspiring to see Wilfred and Aidan, our students, represent at the national stage and do such a phenomenal job of inspiring other schools to follow Holyoke’s example.”

Student presenters said the summit’s next phase will use artifacts gathered from learning walks and small‑group facilitation to produce concrete implementation steps. The ambassadors described plans to hold peer‑facilitated morning sessions and afternoon synthesis meetings that produce implementable lists for faculty action.

Elamika Rivera, a special‑education teacher and mentor to the ambassadors, described the program’s central purpose: “When you give students the opportunity at the table, they share ideas and collaborate with adults to come up with practical solutions.”

Committee members and parents asked about selection criteria for ambassadors. A student explained that many ambassadors were already involved in leadership roles such as student government but said the program intends to create additional entry points for other students.

The committee heard that the next student summit is scheduled for December and that the school will continue to network with other student‑ambassador programs nationwide to benchmark practices and track progress. The committee thanked the students and administrators and agreed to prioritize turning conference takeaways into actionable next steps.