Amelie Pupo-Mayo ’27 shares her ideas at Visioning Day.

October 14th was Carrollton’s Visioning Day. The purpose of this event was to discuss where the community envisions Carrollton in the next five years. All were welcome, including parents, alumni, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and of course, students. Amelie Pupo-Mayo ’27, who attended, had a lot to say about it.

Overall, she was impressed with the event. “It was actually really well organized…..There were all sorts of people in my group, including faculty, alumni, board members, and parents.” However, she was disappointed in the lack of student participation.

“There was an amazing variety within the Carrollton community for everyone, except students. I feel like everyone else’s voices were definitely heard because everyone else came except the heart of Carrollton, which really is the students. The reason that Carrollton exists is the students. It’s for the students, and I feel like they deserve to be heard.” 

Pupo-Mayo felt that not many student concerns were addressed because of the low attendance rate. She said she wanted to talk more about the phone rule and closed grade book but felt like most of the discussions were geared toward parent and staff concerns. 

She is, however, confident in Carrollton’s future and the direction it is going. “I feel like after all of the wonderful conversations I had, I see Carrollton as a much more developed, inclusive, and cooperative place. Not that Carrollton isn’t already, but there are many things you can do because most things in life are ever-changing.”

Pupo-Mayo does have some suggestions. “Directors should definitely consider opening the grade book back. We should also open a student forum, and it will allow a student to lay out new thoughts and ideas that will benefit our school.” She said a student forum was necessary because several students were afraid that even if they spoke up, their voices wouldn’t be heard. In a parent and adult-dominated environment, it can be intimidating to speak your mind.

The event truly influenced Pupo-Mayo. “I didn’t know how engaged parents were in our community until I saw all the parents and staff in a room together discussing ideas. The best way to enact change is to realize where we are now and how we can get to where we want to be.”