Local high school students selected to Georgia Student Advisory Council 2021-22 – Savannah Morning News
Jeremiah Salley, one of three local high school students selected to the Georgia Student Advisory Council, described the honor as an “opportunity to be heard.”
“In our communities, we can see that our voices are just not noticed, recognized, not taken into consideration,” said Salley, a senior at Savannah Early College High School, “With this opportunity, I not only can bring my concerns to the superintendent, but I get to bring my community’s concerns as well.”
Salley, along with Isabella Alvarado, a junior at Richmond Hill High School, and Jessica King, a senior at Effingham County High School, were chosen among more than 1,000 applicants to be part of the 66-member Georgia Student Advisory Council that will aid the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) in shaping school policies.
“State superintendent Richard Woods sees it as an irreplaceable resource as he’s making decisions,” said Meghan Frick, spokesperson for the DOE, “If we’re trying to make that case, it’s a lot more persuasive to a policy maker if we can say, we’ve heard this from students, parents and educators.”
Salley, Alvarado and King will attend the first meeting in Atlanta with the rest of the council on Oct. 19. The next meeting will be held virtually in December and two more in-person meetings will be held next year.
Mental health, inclusion, dual enrollment on the table for discussion
In the past, Frick said the student advisory council has had roundtable-style discussions on issues such as student mental health and standardized testing.
King said that among her classmates, mental health has become a prevalent issue, especially during the pandemic. She said there needs to be more accessible resources for students in terms of promoting mental health.
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“Our teachers and administrators and counselors can look into mental health days every semester that doesn’t count against our attendance,” said King.
The high school senior also spoke about directing more attention to special needs education. She has a younger brother with Down syndrome and she said he’s had trouble getting into inclusive classes.
“Some younger students just don’t have experience with other people who may be a little bit different from them,” said King, “so just promoting inclusion for students… to just be aware of their special abilities throughout the school year.”
Alvarado, who grew up in Germany and moved to Savannah for her first year of high school, also spoke about inclusivity. She said living abroad and the more free-flowing travel in Europe let her witness different cultures and lifestyles, which gave her an open mind.
She said when she first arrived in Georgia, she found it hard to integrate, but that gave her empathy for others experiencing the same.
“Even the people who have been here who feel like they have a hard time interacting with others, I want to encourage them to go outside their comfort zone and feel like they’re safe in doing so,” said Alvarado.
The Richmond Hill junior followed her own advice and regularly attends the art and pottery club, Gay-Straight Alliance and is helping to build the debate team.
“Inspiring others to be more open-minded about things is really important to me,” said Alvarado.
Politics of education
Salley, who is the sole student in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System to be chosen for the council, said one of the main issues he wants to bring up is House Bill 444, which severely cut funding for dual-enrollment courses.
The bill, passed in 2020, cut the amount of state-funded college credit hours for students from 60 hours to 30. Students who want to take beyond the 30-hour limit, have to pay for their own classes.
While Salley is on his way to complete his 60 credit hours, which equals an associates of arts degree, some of his friends were not as fortunate.
“Some decided to leave the school because they’re not as fortunate to have access,” said Salley.
In response to the bill, Salley and his family formed Voices of Our Future Foundation, a nonprofit that fundraised for students who couldn’t afford the extra credit hours, and made calls to political officials about the bill.
“From the political officials, there was really no response back,” said Salley, “I felt really discouraged and confused…leaders are people [who] are supposed to put their community before them.”
However, Salley is hopeful that the student advisory council will give him the chance to bring up the dual enrollment issue again, as well as petition for better resources in his school.
“In giving everyone equal opportunity, we should have the same amount of resources as everybody else,” he said.
Salley, inspired by his father who works in the medical field, said he plans to become a doctor. His older brother, Joshua Salley said Jeremiah’s aspirations are an inspiration for people who look like them.
“Not many Black young men have examples that they can look up to,” said Joshua, “On TV, you don’t really see many Black male doctors…I really believe if he goes to do this…it will really have a huge impact on the community.”
Salley said he would like to hear feedback from his fellow classmates on what he should bring up at the council meetings. His email is at 912studentcouncilman@gmail.com.
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.