COLUMBUS, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on June 16, 2022.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he has selected 16 high school students from Ohio to serve on the inaugural Ohio Student Safety Advisory that is within the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC).
Out of those 16 students, high school students from Northeast Ohio are well represented, with students hailing from Cuyahoga, Geauga and Summit County.
“Involving students in improving school safety is important because they know what is happening in our schools better than anyone,” said Governor DeWine. “Students are well-positioned to help protect their fellow students, their teachers, and staff, and we welcome their valuable input.”
The group of selected students will work closely with OSSC leaders to identify safety concerns at school and eventually come up with new ways to solve these problems.
Initially, the council was going to include 10 students, but it was expanded to 16.
“We initially envisioned a 10-member Student Safety Advisory Council, but we had so many quality applications from students who want to make a difference that we expanded the council to 16 members,” said OSSC Administrator Emily Torok.
All of the students selected for the council will have the opportunity to attend the Ohio School Safety Summit in Columbus between Aug. 2-4.
Students selected for the Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council:
- Isaac Bai, Solon High School in Cuyahoga County
- Brady Burns, Loveland High School in Hamilton County
- Nadia Star Cantelli, Edison High School in Erie County
- Devin Duncan, Fairfield Senior High School in Butler County
- Marin Funderburg, Piqua High School in Miami County
- Augusta Halle, Hawken Upper School in Geauga County
- Ashley He, Upper Arlington High School in Franklin County
- Caylee Hockenberry, Dover High School in Tuscarawas County
- Jacob Kolar, Valley Stem + Me2 Academy in Mahoning County
- Jordan Lewis, Butler High School in Montgomery County
- Helen Liu, Athens High School in Athens County
- Ananya Mahavratayajula, Sycamore High School in Hamilton County
- Jason Miner, John F. Kennedy Catholic School in Trumbull County
- Francesca Parker, Big Walnut High School in Delaware County
- Catherine Stella Soeder, Saint Ursula Academy in Lucas County
- Julia Stoddard-Dare, Twinsburg High School in Summit County
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on July 6, 2022.