MUKILTEO — For more than an hour Friday afternoon, the Mukilteo School Board sat silently and listened.
The five-member board didn’t read any staff recommendations. Nor did it pore over school improvement plans or dissect a new set of test scores.
Friday was a day to hear from the front lines of education. Their teachers were more than a dozen students from Kamiak, Mariner and ACES Alternative high schools.
Among other things, the board wanted to know how students handle the pressure of getting good grades.
The fact is, said Mariner junior Selma Zizak, competition and pressure to succeed in school is part of "the culture of the country."
"You are stressing because you think your neighbor did better than you," she said.
Sam Wrzeszcz, a Kamiak junior with a rigorous class load, said he realizes he needs to keep the drive to earn good grades in perspective with finding the time to enjoy high school .
When he attended a college planning seminar a while ago, he was struck by how "wrapped up people get into being the cookie-cutter student to get into Harvard."
"I thought, ‘This is kind of ridiculous,’ " he said.
High school is a wonderful cultural experience in America, he added, and he wants to work hard in the classroom but not miss out on four years of social opportunities.
Zach Wegermann, a Kamiak senior, said there is sometimes a double standard.
On the one hand, students hear, "We need to push our students harder and harder," he said. On the other, they hear adults say, "You should enjoy high school and not get stressed out."
Wegermann seemed at ease with the academic demands of high school, saying, "I just like challenging myself."
Steve Johnston, a Kamiak junior, said he has people to help him when times get challenging and he needs to find balance in his life.
"I have been very fortunate," he said. "My parents have always been there."
Erik Taubeneck, a Kamiak senior with several college-level classes, said he doesn’t have time to feel stress.
"I keep myself so busy, I can’t think of it," he said. "I just sleep, work and swim."
Students also discussed class schedules and future senior project requirements.
The Mukilteo board has annual meetings with high school students. It also has students from the three high schools serving as ad hoc school board members.
All three — Taubeneck from Kamiak, Alen Ozegovic from Mariner and Ben Hirst from ACES — said they feel their opinions are taken seriously and their input is meaningful.
School board member Bruce Miller said the student viewpoints were extremely helpful.
"We all go around looking at research," Miller said. "Sometimes if you just ask the people it affects, you get good information."
"It’s illuminating," said Judy Schwab, another board member.
Zizak, a Mariner junior, told the board it was time well spent for both sides.
"The best way to do it is to listen to your product," she said.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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