Pasadena Students and Teachers Bridge the Gap at Inaugural Youth Conference

UCLA Professor Tyrone Howard gives the conference keynote address during lunch (Photo – Scott Phelps)

The Pasadena Unified Student Think Tank (STT) and Student Assembly (SAC) hosted their first youth conference for district students and teachers at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 2nd.

By Scott Phelps

The event, titled “Breaking the Line: Creating a Bridge Between Students and Teachers,” aimed to foster dialogue and collaboration between students and educators.

The conference began in the large ballroom with guided discussions at each table of students and teachers, facilitated by STT and SAC members. Students and teachers got to know each other using questions created for this purpose.

Breakout sessions I

Breakout sessions in smaller rooms followed, each led by student facilitators with student panelists. Participants had the choice of three session topics:

1. Taking Action after Devastation – Discussing how communities can work together during challenging times.
2. Repairing the System: Identifying and Addressing Injustice in our Schools, about the importance of flexibility for teenagers’ scheduling and challenging the biases in schools.
3. Student Voices in Policy I: How to Influence Educational Decision-Making, about how STT and SAC members formed their groups and their roles within PUSD.

Lunch and Keynote Address

During lunch, UCLA Professor Dr. Tyrone C. Howard delivered a keynote address titled “If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?” His message to the students was clear: resist. Resist efforts to erase people’s histories. Resist attempts to keep marginalized communities down. He introduced the West African term “sankofa,” meaning “go back and get it” — a call to learn your history.

Keynote speaker, UCLA Professor Dr. Tyrone C. Howard, with students (Photo – Scott Phelps)

Dr. Howard emphasized three key principles for action:

• Upholding Justice – Making sure we do the right thing, treat others fairly, and listen to students, who know the most about the realities of school life. He encouraged students to use their voices to improve schools. Justice means fostering inclusivity in classrooms and in curricula. And mentors matter.
• Repairing Harm – Acknowledging that it’s okay to share that you are not okay. He cited an FBI study showing that schools are the third most common site for hate crimes, urging students to become upstanders, not bystanders. You say something to stop someone from being bullied. He highlighted the devastating impact of bullying, noting that many young people have been pushed to the brink by it. Dr. Howard encouraged students to lift one another up and resist hate and division.
• Fostering a Sense of Belonging – He reminded the students that they belong to a supportive community. He also emphasized the saying, “Iron sharpens iron.” He urged students to surround themselves with those who inspire growth, avoid negative influences, and celebrate their own and others’ cultures. Positive relationships, especially between teachers and students, are essential for fostering a sense of belonging.

Dr. Howard concluded with the unattributed “The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately.”

Breakout sessions II

After lunch, the second set of breakout sessions took place. These sessions offered three more topics:

1. Creating a Sense of Belonging: How Educators and Administrators Can Build Welcoming Schools – Exploring ways to create and sustain welcoming learning environments.
2. Building Student-Led Support Systems for All – Discussing how educators can support students who are struggling.
3. Student Voices in Policy II: How to Influence Educational Decision-Making – A continuation of the earlier session, focused on how STT and SAC members formed their roles within PUSD.

Closing

To conclude the conference, students and teachers returned to the large ballroom to complete evaluations of the day’s events. Nadia Rojas, a senior at CIS, shared, “It was very educational and gave me a better understanding of other pressing issues concerning the school system and life in general.” Blair teacher Michael Dakan praised the efforts of the student organizers: “The talented and capable students who organized and led the conference did a great job.”

CIS students Nadia Rojas (center, in red) and Joseph Triplett (to her left, in blue) get to know other PUSD students (Student Think Tank and Student Assembly members in purple) and a PUSD staff member during a guided discussion at the conference opening (Photo – Scott Phelps)