Covington Youth Council reviews events, park cleanup and school facility requests; council offers support

Members of the Covington Youth Council presented a recap of recent activities and a list of items they want the city and district to consider. Recent events included trunk-or-treat appearances (students described dressing as the Scooby-Doo “Mystery Machine”), a community road cleanup near Covington Community Park on or about November 6, a tree-lighting event, and a letter-to-Santa program the council said ran without returned mail.

Planned activities include a student art show scheduled for March, during which student artwork will be displayed in local businesses. The youth council also reported travel to a regional leadership conference (Olympiad for LAAC) in February where members attended workshops on lobbying and bill writing.

Students raised school-facilities concerns: Kentwood’s gym lacks sound panels used in other schools, making assemblies hard to hear, and several speakers described damaged and unsanitary bathroom stalls, which has discouraged use and created potential health issues. The youth council also raised a long-running suggestion to rename a school driveway or corridor and reported ASB-funded improvements such as a large mural installed in a hallway.

City councilors encouraged the youth council to document requests and said they would bring several topics — gym acoustics, bathroom maintenance and student-art partnerships with local businesses — to the school board. Council members also offered to attend student advisory or senate meetings to listen and to support student-led proposals.