By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The latest edition of the Mayor’s Youth Council in Decatur has been finalized for the 2024-25 school year.
The new council will have 20 members, including 12 who are remaining for a new term, Community Coordinator Jamie Gephart told city council at its recent meeting..
A total of 30 Bellmont High School students applied and 20 were chosen.
“We had a great group of applicants,” said Mayor Dan Rickord, who initiated the idea of a youth council several years ago. “It was tough making cuts.
“We’re excited to get started.”
Gephart said, “We had more applicants than we were able to have on the council, but we have asked anyone that applied and is interested in still taking part in some activities to reach out to me as we still want to hear from them and hear their ideas”
Gephart, who works closely with the group, first launched by the mayor for the 2022-23 school year. He said at that time, “We’re trying to listen to our young people. We want to keep them here. If they don’t find it here, they will go someplace else.”
The group meets monthly at Bellmont. Members are required to attend two city council meetings and one parks or economic development meeting.
They also participate in non-school projects, such as the city’s Beautification Program, which was launched by the 2023-24 youth council.
The new members are:
Michael Scheumann
Evalina Hernandez
Maya Schlemmer
Ashlyn Baumann
Averie Coats
Quinn Buchan
Lillian Jin
Emma Fuelling
Noah Birchfield
Returning members:
Jayleena Hill
Olivia Bessesen
Kinleigh Coffee
Brianna Conversat
Ben Mills
Carissa Mickley
Oliver Goble
Everett Colclasure
Lilly Alberding
Hudson Krull
Lillian Garner
Emma Key
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