Going to State

Northmont Students Visit the State House

Ohio+Governor+John+Kasich+holds+a+group+picture+of+Northmont+students+%28courtesy+of+%40JohnKasich+on+Twitter%29.

Ohio Governor John Kasich holds a group picture of Northmont students (courtesy of @JohnKasich on Twitter).

Ellie Coppock, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

On Tuesday, April 10, Northmont students traveled to the State House in Columbus to speak to government officials about school safety. The students are part of the School Safety Team that formed after the tragedy in Parkland, Florida.

“The experience was nice for me and everyone who went to dip their toes into the world of government, activism, and speaking,” said senior John Pierron.

At the State House, the students gave a presentation to the government officials based on information gathered by a survey given to the Northmont student body. The selected group of students gave speeches addressing their stance on school safety.

“It gave us the opportunity to get involved in government in a way that high schoolers usually aren’t able to,” said senior Caitlin Hoyng.

An open discussion followed the presentation. Opposing sides got the chance to voice their opinions and listen to others.

“Overall, I think [certain government officials] were given insight and their attitudes began to change, but some went into it expecting very little from us, perhaps because we are ‘just high school students,'” said Pierron.

There are still things that other students can do if they want to get involved. Efforts will not stop because according to junior Emily Frantz, this is a movement, not a moment.

“If Northmont students want to get involved, they should call their representative and voice what they’re thinking,” said junior Eric Woods.

Students can find the contacts of any representative on http://www.ohiohouse.gov/members/member-directory.

Eleven students made the trip to Columbus, along with Superintendent Mr. Tony Thomas, Principal Dr. Jason Inkrott, Media Specialist Mr. Cory Caudill, Student Assistance Counselor Ms. Sheree Coffman, and art teachers Ms. Abby Daniels and Ms. Bethany Allen. More photos can be found here.

The School Safety Team’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 17.