Now that the school year has ended, Piedmont High School students can look back not only on classes, finals and activities, but also on what they hoped could be improved on campus. This year, the “Idea Drop” gave them a place to share those thoughts. Through the student-created suggestion box, hundreds of students were able to say what they wanted from their school, and their responses are now helping shape conversations about improvements for next year.
At a time when school issues are often discussed by adults — parents, administrators, board members and community leaders — the Idea Drop gave students a simple but powerful way to be part of that conversation.
Raffaello Banin, a junior at Piedmont High and editor for TPH, created the box to give students a direct place to share ideas, concerns and practical suggestions for making school life better.
“There was all this discussion around school, and everyone in the community was so invested, which is great,” Banin said. “But I felt like not many people were asking what students really wanted. And even if we wanted to share our opinions, there was not a clear place to do so.”
Banin brought the idea to Principal Yoshihara, who encouraged the initiative right away and helped promote it in the school newsletter. He then went to Home Depot, bought the materials, and built and painted the box himself. Placed outside the library, the box carried a direct message: “Share your ideas. Make our school better now.”
At first, however, there was some concern that students might not use it properly. “When Raffaello brought the idea to me, I was worried that students might use it for inappropriate comments or jokes,” said PHS Principal Yoshihara. “Instead, it was inspiring to see how many students used the opportunity to share thoughtful ideas about how to make the school better.”
Students took the opportunity seriously. In total, the IDEA dROP received 297 student responses, with a handful also from teachers. Very few suggestions were unserious. Instead, the box was filled with thoughtful and practical ideas, with many students also asking for “more places like this to share ideas.”
To act on the students’ requests, following discussion with Principal Yoshihara and English and journalism teacher Beth Black, the School Improvement Group was born.
This year the group included Raffaello Banin, chair; Milo Stevenson, junior; Edita Elmquist and Cassidy Carter, sophomores; Lila Rosen, senior; and Hallie Burden, senior. Students from different grade levels worked together to review suggestions and help turn them into action.
The suggestions ranged from small daily fixes to larger ideas about school culture. Some focused on everyday needs, such as lunch, seating, bathrooms, library hours and shade. Others asked for more academic and extracurricular opportunities, including more class options, engineering classes, AI education and an e-sports team. Many students also suggested ways to build a stronger school community, including buddy systems, mentoring, schoolwide events and more activities that help students connect.
The responses were not only about complaints or requests. It was also nice to see students use the IDEA dROP to appreciate teachers and staff, with notes such as “Love McAuliffe,” “Mr. Wolbert should DJ homecoming,” “We love Mr. Messeroll” and “We love Señora Sahagen.” Before the end of the school year, the group decided to begin with smaller, more achievable goals.
“There were so many cool suggestions,” said Carter, “so we had to make a priority list. Salt and pepper were the most requested items, so we decided to start with them. Thanks to a small fundraiser from family and students, during the last few weeks of school, students could enjoy pepper at lunch.”
Moving forward, the group plans to work closely with ASB and the school administration to promote and implement more bonding activities and a buddy system within the school. Indeed, some of the submitted requests also reflected priorities already being discussed by Parents’ Club, the school board and administrators, including more course options, AI and technology preparation, more consistent library hours and more benches or seating around
campus. The overlap showed that students, parents and administrators were often focused on many of the same needs. Although the great majority of student comments were positive, a few pointed to a need for more support, including requests for an “anti-bullying assembly” and “more talks about bullying.”
“It was hard to see that some students do not feel welcome in our school, and although there were only a few of such messages, it is enough to take a moment to reflect as students and ask the school to intervene,” said Banin.
The group also hopes the IDEA dROP can extend beyond the high school. Remembering their own middle school years as a time that could feel chaotic, difficult and sometimes unheard, some members said a similar suggestion box could be useful at Piedmont Middle School. Younger students may also have strong ideas about how to improve school life but may not always feel that anyone is listening or know where to share them.
The IDEA dROP has shown that students are not short on ideas. What they often need is a clear way to share them and a structure that can help move those ideas forward. A suggestion box may seem simple, but at PHS it became a way to collect hundreds of student voices and turn them into a larger conversation about school life.
As the student group looks ahead to next year, its purpose remains clear: listen to students, choose realistic goals and keep showing that student voices matter.
“Our goal for next year is to bring on board freshmen. Freshmen were very active in submitting requests, so we want to make sure they are also represented. We will also be looking at incoming sophomores to replace the two existing senior members,” said Elmquist.