When the Mayor’s Office contacted McCaskey High School regarding the Neighborhood Leaders Academy last fall, teachers Amy Savidge and Jed Burkholder quickly accepted the opportunity for students to advocate for community change.
As part of the program, nearly 20 McCaskey students, mostly sophomores and a few freshmen, met monthly with city leaders this school year on a variety of topics from local government to public safety. To culminate the academy, students developed a community project to pitch to city and district officials, including a timeline, budget and overall project description. The projects were intended to build community and provide positive outcomes.
On Wednesday, McCaskey students presented their ideas to Mayor Danene Sorace, Chief of Staff Jess King, and Executive Director of Student Services Chris Lopez for approval. The student-chosen projects included:
- Decreasing violence in schools by increasing connections with School Resource Officers
- Decreasing pollution with a community cleanup by beautification of trashcans
- Increasing the awareness of advanced education opportunities with SDoL by providing book kits to younger age groups that introduce them to complex concepts sooner
All projects were approved on the spot and students will work with their teams to develop next steps. The city and district plan to continue this program with a new cohort of students next school year.