The school Site Council will focus this school year on methods to reduce student stress, introducing an intramural program for the 07-08 school year, and increasing the number of underrepresented minorities both in advanced core classes and "all areas of Paly life", as decided in Monday’s meeting.

Of the 10 voting members present, four believed the most important issue is continuation of efforts to reduce stress on Paly students. According to a handout, this would encompass subtopics such as a revised school calendar, a later start to the school day, studying the effect of sleep deprivation, and examining the need for January finals. In Palo Alto, pressures on the students are high, and Site Council has been contributing to efforts that would allow students to relax.

Three council members felt passionately that minority students are underrepresented in advanced academic classes, and they proposed that the council try to raise this number by 10 percent. This was perceived as more of a long-term goal, with "few changes in 6 months? or a year, or more," Principal Scott Laurence said. "We’re going to see the impact further down the road."

Site Council also wants to involve minority students in all areas of Paly life, though that could be an overwhelming task, since "all areas" would need to be defined, as one board member pointed out. This idea could include athletics, AP classes, choir, clubs, etc. History teacher Jaclyn Edwards suggested integrating an attendance policy into one of those goals, noting, "There’s a correlation between underrepresented minorities and attendance."

Another focus for this year will be researching and planning an intramural program that will take effect in the 07-08 school year. Intramurals engage students who enjoy sports, but choose not to play competitively for the school. According to Laurence, there are as many as five basketball games occurring during lunch. Current intramural policy provides no funding for equipment, but Site Council hopes to expand intramurals into a full program. Questions linger concerning the leadership of the proposed program.

During the open forum section of the meeting, Edwards presented an idea to better facilitate election days on Paly campus. She suggested a special schedule on election days, giving teachers and students over the age of 18 accessible, on-site voting. According to Edwards, a delayed start would also demonstrate to the rest of the student body the importance of participating in the democratic process. According to a recent Campanile article, few teachers choose to vote on-campus.

No student representatives were present during this Site Council meeting. In past years, each grade has had a representative, elected in the spring to serve for the next year. However, with the upheaval concerning the change in student activity directors, the election simply never happened. Currently, only two student volunteers represent the Paly student population: sophomore Lucas Matze and junior Kai Wong. The positions of freshman and senior class representatives are still open to anyone who wishes to influence the workings of the Site Council.

The next Site Council meeting is Monday, Dec. 4, in the staff lounge from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.