Ritenour High School students are voicing their opinions and working to improve school policies in order to create a cohesive, friendly learning environment.

There are two organizations within the school that are advocating for changes in Ritenour, and the students involved with these groups join them in different ways.

One organization works directly with the administration, the Husky Advisory Board. Students are chosen by the administration, and meet to discuss various problems around the school.

Junior Millie Volpitto gained membership on the board her freshmen year, and she has been an active member of the board since.

“The Husky Advisory is a team of students, led mostly by Dr. Robinson, that are working together to accentuate and highlight the good things that are going on at our school. They point out the things that really need to be taken care of”, Volpitto said.

The board does not only consist of upperclassman, but also recognizes the opinions of all grade levels Freshman Taylor Mayhall, a board member, shared her difficulties about getting to her Jazz Band class each morning, and her plan to solve that problem.

“One [policy] that has not necessarily been put into action is when I go to Jazz Band in the morning, and it doesn’t make sense to go from the main doors and walk to the Band room, so we were thinking of having the foyer doors open”

Sophomore Elvis Phung has been satisfied with the work of the Husky Advisory Board, and the suggestions that he has brought to them.

“Some of the suggestions I have made have actually happened, but some were impossible,” Phung said.

However, the policies that have been changed can be seen in Ritenour High School’s cafeteria, especially involving the lunch lines.

“The lines this year move a little faster and we still have more people, but there are changes being made in that,” Volpitto said.

On the other side of the spectrum, the “Student Union” is led purely by Ritenour High School students. It was formed ten months ago by the self named “Wolf Pack,” which consists of seniors John Rodenberg, Zachary Clark, Xavier Islam, and Taylor Eschbacher.

“ It was originally started with a group of four students and we had other students that have been recruited by us,” Rodenberg said .

Union member Zachary Clark believes that the Union’s purpose is protect the rights of students.

“ The Student Union is just a collection of students that come together and really try to promote some of the rights that we believe are crushed by the school district, in a reasonable degree of doing stuff ,” said Clark.

Even though the Union has only been recently formed, it has managed to evoked a reaction.

“The reaction has been negative, which is good because if we are trying to make change, it is not going to be a happy change that will be embraced,” Rodenberg said.

The organization has not made any changes toward the school policies so far compared to the Husky Advisory board, but the student union can be easily joined by talking to a member.