Meatless Mondays, Encinitas TEDx and More at the Forum

Despite the rainstorm Friday, SDA students still made the trek to the art room for the monthly Forum to discuss campus issues and announcements, including student driving safety in the rain, vegan options, and an upcoming Tedx event on campus.

Senior Nat Cornacchione brought up the issue of student driving, given the frequent rainstorms SDA has seen this winter. Students at the Forum suggested possibly adding the issue of rain to the Start Smart driving class or adding dividers between cars in the upper lot to prevent collisions that result from skidding.

The issue of the lack of vegan options at the Mosaic Cafe was introduced by senior Kim Quach. Senior Kyra Benowitz suggested possibly having the culinary arts class prepare vegan options for a few Mondays to bring back the “Meatless Mondays” that the Mosaic offered last year. However, senior Matthew Zounes expressed concerns about the demand for vegan options and suggested possibly surveying students at the Mosaic.

An upcoming Tedx event on campus was brought up by senior Linnea Leidy, who inquired about details on the event. According to senior Oceana Haaland, who has been in contact with the event organizer, the event known as “Changing Voices” will occur in the PAC on April 1.

Students have an opportunity to make speeches on any subject at the event by filling out an application, which can be obtained by contacting Haaland. “This [event] is going to be kids speaking, under 25, but they want adults in the audience. So, it’s going to cater towards adults with kids speaking,” said Haaland.

History teacher Kerry Koda introduced a discussion on how to emphasize the importance of the Healthy Kids Survey, which all SDA students will take during second period on Feb. 7. Senior Chloe Williams suggested conveying to students the results of other Healthy Kids Surveys, such as the free breakfasts offered to students three years ago.

Assistant Principal Brieahna Weatherford emphasized the impact of the survey on the students themselves. “It’s really to gather data from the student’s voice so that we as a school can continue to work on maintaining and building the culture that we have here,” said Weatherford. “It’s so important for you to take it seriously because the data and your voice and the results really matter and we look at this data and we talk about it and it helps us make informed decisions about how we can support you as SDA students.”