Photo courtesy Bethel-Tate Local Schools.
Please join us in congratulating BTHS junior Grace Tolliver on her appointment to the 2024-2025 Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council.
The council is an elite group of 16 Ohio high school students who will assist the Ohio School Safety Center in identifying school safety concerns and developing innovative solutions to address them. The Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council was created in 2022 by Governor Mike DeWine. Students from last year’s council will present their capstone projects at the 2024 School Safety Summit this summer.
“This year’s students took their capstone projects to new levels and got their peers more involved in the everyday safety activities at their schools,” said OSSC Executive Director Emily Torok. “Our alumni members quickly got the new council onboarded and they all supported each other in a student network to promote safety across the state. I encourage everyone to reach out to their local council member to learn about their projects and initiatives. They are very impressive.”
Over the summer, Grace and other Safety Advisory Council members attended the Ohio School Safety Summit held at the Columbus Convention Center to network with their peers and attend initial informational sessions on violence prevention strategies and emotional safety.
Council members will develop strategies to encourage their peers to actively engage in maintaining a safe school environment and will be advocates for students’ overall well-being. Students will work directly with OSSC school safety liaisons to organize events, focus groups, and trainings to help highlight student success and safety best practices at various schools. These members will also act as a sounding board for the Ohio School Safety Working Group and OSSC on student marketing campaigns and other projects to ensure that student voices are represented.