St. Mary's County Youth Advisory Council elects officers, forms education committee

The St. Mary’s County Youth Advisory Council elected Donovan Weekly as chair, Taylor Berry as vice chair and Shannon Baker as secretary during its Feb. 4 meeting, and members voted to establish an education committee to pursue issues including the cost of Advanced Placement testing and school‑based services.

Those leadership motions passed by voice vote with no opposition noted during the meeting; the council also agreed to add committee reports to the March agenda so members can report back on outreach they carry out between meetings.

Why this matters: the newly elected officers and the creation of an education committee will set priorities and point people for follow‑up with the county Board of Education, county commissioners and local partners on items the youth identified — notably school mental health staffing and funding for AP tests.

Nominations and votes: nominations for secretary, vice chair and chair were made from the floor and adopted by voice vote. The council’s vice chair, Taylor Berry, said the vice chair role was intended to support the chair and step in when the chair is absent. The new chair, Donovan Weekly, told the council he would aim to act as a meeting facilitator and keep the commission on task.

Education committee: Members moved to establish an education committee and discussed next steps. Josh Guy said he planned to speak with Superintendent Smith and other Board of Education members about AP testing costs and related supports; the committee agreed to research local practices, existing school aid programs and potential community funding sources (civic clubs, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce or private donors) to reduce out‑of‑pocket costs for students. Members set a goal to report findings at the March meeting.

Outreach and materials: commissioners discussed outreach tactics including a printed pamphlet for events, school orientations, student TV broadcasts (LTV), social media and using the county webmaster to host a commission page. Staff said county advisory board pages exist and suggested youth coordinate with the county webmaster for official pages; youth were also encouraged to speak with county commissioners individually about the council’s role and priorities.

Ending: The council scheduled committee reports for the March meeting and adjourned after a voice vote in favor of adjournment.