Governance Committees
In SWS, students are responsible for helping run, maintain, and identify the changing needs of our program. To that end, each student is responsible for joining one "governance committee" per year. These committees are a program requirement and one part of a student's community responsibilities.
Although governance committees change according to the needs of the program, our current committees are listed below:
Agenda Committee:
Students on agenda committee meet weekly with a faculty advisor to help plan the topics and discussion at our weekly Town Meetings. These students then facilitate Town Meeting as "Chair" on a rotational basis.
Attendance Committee:
Students in SWS are responsible for their own attendance and are able to sign themselves out of their classes. However, if a student is consistently late or habitually absent, Attendance Committee meets with the student to ensure that the student has a plan to remain fully engaged with the community. Attendance Committee may recommend to teachers that they not lower a student's grade based on a students willingness to participate in Restorative Justice practices. Significant attendance issues will be addressed with the program coordinator.
Community Committee:
SWS changes with each successive generation of students. As a result, the needs of our community are constantly in flux. Community Committee works to identify needed changes to the culture and expectations of the program, as well as helping to mediate conflicts that may arise in the community.
Lounge Show:
Our monthly open mic lounge shows are a long-standing SWS tradition. Students on Lounge Show Committee are responsible for helping plan, maintain, and MC our monthly programming.
Space Committee:
SWS has occupied the 4th floor of Brookline High School for over fifty years. Students on Space Committee are responsible for helping maintain the cleanliness of the space we're given.
Students of Color Committee:
SWS recognizes the need for affinity spaces for students of color to discuss and process issues that may arise in the world, class, or the larger BHS community. This committee is an optional space for those who identify as students of color to discuss needs and issues in a welcoming and affirming environment.
Admissions:
Each Spring, SWS admits a new group of rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Admissions Committee helps recruit new students and assist with the application process.
Summer Reading Committee:
Students on the summer reading committee help preview and select the texts for our summer reading program.
Planning Committee:
SWS holds a number of different events throughout the course of the school year. Students on Planning Committee are responsible for helping schedule, plan, and execute our community events successfully.
Sweatshirt Committee:
Any good program needs awesome "merch" to unite the members of the community! Sweatshirt Committee is responsible for organizing the design of our yearly sweatshirt. This is a long-running tradition and one of the most anticipated moments of the year. Some of the best SWS stories come from SWSers out in the community wearing their sweatshirt and meeting an alum at a CVS or a pizza shop, who strikes up a conversation. "Hey! Are you in SWS?" It's an instant way to connect with the 1000s of students who have come through SWS.
