Student Council (StuCo) recently began implementing a system of text message announcements and reminders called RB Announcements using the app “Remind”
Remind is a communication platform that allows users to effectively distribute information to large groups of people.
So far, StuCo has used the system to send out reminders for football games and various homecoming activities with the first text message being sent September 6. Junior Shruti Gautam thinks the system will soon transition into being a way for students to send suggestions and/or criticism to help StuCo better serve the student of Rock Bridge.
“There’s always something happening at this school, and no one really knows.” Gautam who started the project and currently sends out all announcements and reminders said.
She hopes through the Remind updates she is able to inform more students on the many amazing clubs, events, and projects going on all around them at Rock Bridge.
StuCo spread the word about the new program through Student Council members’ Instagram stories, the principal’s social media, and the school website, sharing the required code to sign up for the announcements. Gautam said every text informs more than 200 students, teachers and parents.
Gautam first got the idea after hearing from a friend that the Hickman student government had implemented a Remind app program. She said a school as big as Rock Bridge could really benefit from having a system like Remind as it is especially hard to get information out to a large number of students.
“Our school is overly saturated with clubs…what happens is that our school gets overwhelmed with information,” Gautam said. “There are so many flyers, and no one really looks at them. It’s hard for teachers to reach out to every kid and inform them on what’s happening. Not every kid is on social media. In short, there’s no streamlined process to output information, and I think having something like Remind, which anyone can join easily, can help with this problem.”
“The biggest thing about Remind is that it’s text-based,” Gautam said.
The convenience of a quick text popping up on a screen is what makes the Remind updates different or more effective than the many other outlets the school uses to send out information.
Freshman Catherine George who is signed up for both Remind and the daily Infobruin emails said she finds the Remind messages most convenient because she can just see what it says at a glance.
“I thought it would be a good way for the school to also realize that Student Council is really trying to step it up and become more involved with the school and helping the students,” Gautam said. “No matter what you think of the school, there’s a lot going on and a lot of opportunities for every type of kid. It’s nice to be able to be informed about your community.”
What do you think about Student Council using Remind? Let us know in the comments below.
