From being embedded in websites to being used to create lesson plans and slideshows, artificial intelligence is everywhere in education. As the technology continues to improve, Pinewood teachers and students alike have been wondering whether it’s appropriate to use and if so, when.

   This is where the Students for Sustainable Change program comes in. This year, SSC has decided to focus on AI policies for the student body. In particular, members hope to clear up confusion about AI use in the classroom.

   Junior Alisha Ramani, who joined SSC last year, believes focusing on AI policy is important because of the impact it’s having on society.

   “For me, it’s super important and relevant right now because there’s a lot of confusion amongst students and also the general world about how AI is going to affect teaching, learning, and major careers,” Ramani said.

   Members will attend department meetings to help create department-specific policies for AI. Afterward, SSC hopes to educate students on responsible AI usage.

   Their new focus on AI came with the advent of a new advisor: Monica Llagaria. Llagaria supported SSC through the end of last school year and the beginning of this one to choose the new theme. 

   “We had a meeting, and everybody discussed what they wanted to contribute to the school,” Llagaria said. “It was a collective group opinion.”

   Llagaria said she wants the student members to take the lead in SSC decisions.

   “I’m not the leader of the scene. I feel like I’m the supporter. I’m the cheerleader for the group,” Llagaria said.

   Ramani said that SSC has many aspirations for the future. Their goals include shortening the lunch line this year and hopefully addressing many other school-related issues later on.

   “I would love to talk about Pinewood’s overconsumption [during student council] campaigning and also how we have green and gold shirts every year,” Ramani said. “That’s something that’s really important to me, but we haven’t talked about it yet.”

   Ultimately, the SSC wants to make a lasting impact on the Pinewood and broader Los Altos community by permanently improving Pinewood’s policies.

   “[SSC students] want to make tangible change,” Llagaria said. “I really like that idea of leaving your footprint in Pinewood…I firmly believe that we all can benefit from other voices and other emotions.”