A Student Government of the People, for the People

Leadership starts early at Catlin Gabel. The revival of Student Government in the Beginning and Lower School is opening new opportunities for students to define school priorities, express opinions, and make an impact.

When Tracy Gray and Jewell Sparks decided to bring back student government in the Beginning and Lower School (BLS), they didn’t know where it would lead. That ambiguity was intentional. 

After a multi-year hiatus from a formal leadership program for Catlin Gabel’s youngest learners, Tracy, Assistant Head for Student & Family Support in the BLS, and Jewell, Assistant Director of Inclusive Student Programs, wanted student leaders to identify their own projects and priorities.

“An important part of the work is making sure we're continuously listening to what the students are saying they want the work to be,” said Tracy. 

The result? Two cohorts of student representatives from third through fifth grade. The first-ever BLS Spirit Week. A series of skits demonstrating kindness. And most importantly: 28 student leaders with greater confidence in their ability to enact change.

While student government opportunities have existed for some time at Catlin Gabel in the Middle and Upper Schools, the program has been intermittent for the BLS. A pause that began in 2023 extended until 2025, leaving young students eager for more leadership opportunities.

“A recent belonging survey conducted from preschool through 12th grade showed us that students wanted to see more school spirit and joy,” said Jewell. “BLS students also wanted a better understanding of rules and how they’re implemented with consistency across grade levels.”

Based on this student feedback, Jewell and Tracy thought it was time to give BLS Student Government another try. They put out a call to students, recruiting an eager group of young leaders ready to make their community stronger, kinder, and more inclusive.

The group kicked off with a retreat, in which Jewell and Tracy facilitated discussions on leadership and helped the group develop its own norms for collaboration. The student representatives then visited areas around campus, including the playground, BLS classrooms and hallways, and the Barn, to observe where the community was falling short of the school’s values.

Those observations helped the group identify their policy priorities: a spirit week to generate joy, a series of skits to demonstrate how to respond with kindness in tricky situations, and a community-wide survey of feedback from students in preschool through fifth grade.

As they executed these projects, students gained critical lessons in effective leadership. For some, the biggest challenge was learning to set aside their own ideas to better reflect the priorities of their constituents. One student leader passionately advocated for “Worm Day” as one of the spirit week themes, only to find that it was not a popular idea with the broader BLS community. Despite their disappointment, the student tabled their pet project and willingly adopted the spirit days chosen by the student body (Bring a Stuffy Day, Wacky Wednesday, Silly Hair Day, and Catlin Spirit Day).

“I think that’s really the educating for democracy piece for students,” said Tracy, referencing one of the four pillars of progressive education. “It’s moving beyond their own individual interest. Like, ‘I want to run for student council to do X’ as opposed to, ‘this is what we’re hearing from the community.’”

For others, the biggest learning centered on ethical survey practices, including reviewing anonymous results without judgment and discovering how to gather input from students as young as four years old.

Built into the program was a firm belief that young people are capable, opinionated, and deserving of a seat at the table. Rather than only recruiting representatives from fifth grade—the typical design for most elementary school student government programs—the council is open to students from third through fifth grade.

“We know that our third graders have the critical thinking ability and the leadership capacity to be able to step into these spaces and be leaders of their community,” said Jewell. “Sometimes our third graders had really incredible ideas to contribute and would pose a question or a thought that allowed fourth and fifth graders to be challenged in their thinking as well.”

Opening the door to younger students also created new opportunities, fueled by their creativity and open-mindedness. “At this age, they don't come in with expectations of what a student council should look like…There's so much unapologetic idea-sharing at this age that just is truly joyful,” said Jewell.

Beyond joy, student participants found the experience rewarding. “It made us feel like our voices were heard,” said Bailey Litteken, a fifth grader. “Everyone, including preschool and kindergarten, were able to share their ideas with our support,” added fourth grader Brooklyn Litteken. “It was fun to change the school and make it a better place,” said third grader Brooks Ellison.

Tracy and Jewell plan to continue the program again next year, with a brand-new cohort of student representatives. What will they tackle next? We’ll have to wait and see what the students come up with.