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Student advisory council outlines MLK service projects, bullying and mental-health outreach and safeTALK training
Summary
Members of the superintendent's Student Advisory Council described volunteer work for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, plans to present anti-bullying, vaping and mental-health lessons at middle schools during Ramadan, and upcoming safeTALK suicide-prevention training facilitated by University of Michigan staff.
Students on the Dearborn City School District superintendent's Student Advisory Council told the board Feb. 10 that the council will run community service and outreach projects tied to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and student mental-health concerns.
Micah Mitchell, a senior at Henry Ford Early College, and fellow SSAC members Bison Al Zane, Miriam Al Azadeh and Meraki Temaskin described this year's projects: volunteering at local food pantries, raising money for humanitarian aid in the community and visiting middle schools to present interactive lessons on bullying, vaping and mental health during Ramadan.
"One of our big initiatives this year is to raise awareness about the issue of bullying, vaping, and mental health in general," Micah Mitchell said. The students said they plan interactive games and presentations to engage middle-school audiences while many students are fasting for Ramadan.
The SSAC members also said they will participate in safeTALK suicide-prevention training organized for the council. Bison Al Zane said the training will be facilitated by trainers from the University of Michigan "Einsberg Center for Family Depression." The training is scheduled as an extension of the SSAC's monthly meeting, the students said.
Student representatives told the board the council serves as a link between students and staff and that the training is intended to help members identify peers at risk and connect them to district resources. The students gave a public acknowledgment to Norma Harb for her support of the council.
Trustee Petasquath (spelled in the transcript) offered public comment after the presentation urging that student messaging also address safe driving and other causes of youth fatalities; students and trustees agreed the topic could be incorporated into future outreach.
The students ended by answering questions about their future plans: Micah Mitchell said she plans to major in sociology and pursue an academic career; Bison Al Zane said he will attend Columbia University to study biochemistry and public health on a pre-med track.
The board did not take formal action on the SSAC presentation; the remarks were received as informational.
