Campbell Youth Commission elects Sophie as chair, sets work-plan to partner with established community events

Sophie was elected chair of the Campbell Youth Commission on an anonymous ballot and will lead the commission’s work this year, the group confirmed at its meeting. Sophie, a junior at Westmont High School who served as chair last year, said her priorities include forging connections with local officials and businesses to give commissioners more resources and visibility: “my main goal for this year which is to help all of you look good,” she said.

The commission also elected Ashley as secretary and Sarah as vice chair. Ashley, a junior at Notre Dame High School, told commissioners she would rely on her note-taking and organizational experience to make sure “everyone’s ideas are captured.” Sahana, an eighth grader at Rolling Hills who was a competing candidate for secretary, said the role is “the backbone of the youth commission” and emphasized producing notes with actionable items and timelines.

Why it matters: commissioners agreed to a new approach that prioritizes execution over launching brand-new standalone events. Staff and student leaders said each of the commission’s three subcommittees should pick a single main project to carry out between January and April, allowing members time to prepare and to partner with established events or organizations.

During the meeting commissioners were assigned to three subcommittees: teen life skills/civic engagement/career building; teen wellness/fitness/recreation; and teen community/leadership. Proposed main-project ideas mentioned during the discussion included financial-literacy programming at existing career fairs or school events, joining the city’s open house (noted for March 7) with a teen-focused activity, hosting or partnering on a kids triathlon or Valentine’s Day fun run, and contributing a teen-centered stop to a Valentine’s Day community event or existing multicultural nights at local schools.

Several commissioners urged partnering with established events rather than starting from scratch. “We’re not trying to start something from scratch,” a staff member leading the meeting said, urging students to leverage other groups’ capacity and to focus on execution. Returning commissioners cautioned about calendar conflicts (SATs, school breaks, President’s Day weekend) and advised planning backup options.

The meeting also flagged a near-term volunteer opportunity: staff shared details for a Family Health and Wellness Fair scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20, at Castlemont Elementary (1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.). The flyer listed free services including vaccines, vision and dental screenings, school supplies and community resources; students were encouraged to attend, volunteer and report back to their subcommittees.

What the meeting decided: the commission approved the minutes from the May 5, 2025 meeting (motion moved by Mason, seconded by Sophie) and completed the anonymous ballots for officer elections. Ballot tallies were collected and winners announced: Sophie (chair), Ashley (secretary) and Sarah (vice chair). Vote counts were not specified in the public announcement.

Next steps: staff will circulate notes and subcommittee summaries via Slack and set expectations for planning over the next weeks so subcommittees arrive at the next meeting prepared to finalize their main project. The commission is scheduled to reconvene for subcommittee meetings in late September, with the expectation that main-project work will occur January–April.

Quotes used in this article are from students and staff recorded during the meeting.