At Leipzig International School Kindergarten, a simple question sparked a powerful idea: Who should decide what’s on the lunch menu?
To bring student voice into this everyday decision, the Kindergarten partnered with Grade 12 IBDP student Friedrich, who spent months designing a child-friendly voting machine that allows our youngest learners to share their preferences. After testing the system and providing feedback, the Kindergarten Student Council helped introduce it to their friends at Kindergarten.
The Process:
It began with a simple but important problem: the Kindergarten lunch menu was being decided entirely by adults. While the intention was positive, the reality was clear – the people making the choices were not the ones eating the food.
As a Kindergarten, we recognised an opportunity. If we are committed to developing student agency and voice, then this needed to extend beyond the classroom. The lunch menu became an authentic context to explore participation, ownership and decision-making.
Identifying the Need
Our initial inquiry question was practical:
What app could we use to gather student feedback about lunch choices?
Yet as conversations unfolded, it became clear that this was not simply about choosing a platform. It was about designing a solution that honoured the developmental needs of our youngest learners while building something sustainable for the future.
What followed was an authentic collaboration between Kindergarten and a DP Student, Friedrich.
Through a series of structured interviews, the Kindergarten Principal and a Friedrich clarified the vision. The discussion focused on design considerations: user accessibility, intuitive interface, data integrity and long-term functionality. Friedrich translated these conversations into three detailed design proposals, each outlining a different technical pathway. After careful review, one design was selected; not because it was the most complex, but because it was the most appropriate for EY users.
Over the following months, the Friedrich moved into development. Coding, building, testing, refining — the project evolved through a full design cycle. What began as an idea gradually became a working prototype.
When the device was finally brought to the Kindergarten Student Council, the shift in ownership was tangible. The council members tested the system themselves, offering feedback on clarity, ease of use, and interaction. Their voices shaped the final adjustments. This was not a presentation; it was a consultation.
The formal handover that followed was intentional. Training ensured that the system would not sit as a novelty, but function as a student-led tool. The Kindergarten Student Council then planned how to introduce the machine to their peers — explaining not only how to use it, but why it mattered. They monitored its rollout and supported others through the process.
Today, the data collected informs real menu decisions. Patterns are reviewed. Preferences are considered. Choices are adjusted.
More importantly, students see the connection between their voice and real change.
This project is more than a technical solution. It is a demonstration of what becomes possible when students design for students.
A secondary learner applied advanced technical expertise to serve a genuine community need. Kindergarten students experienced authentic participation in decision-making. Together, they transformed a simple question about lunch into a living example of agency in action.
Student voice is no longer abstract. It is visible, measurable, and shaping what is served each day.