Ava Johnson, a junior at West Liberty-Salem, has her sights set on creating a safer school experience for students statewide as a new member of the Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council. Ava, daughter of high school principal Greg Johnson and fourth grade teacher Crystal Johnson, shared that her passion for school safety began when her father helped launch the Principal Recovery Network, a national network of principals who support school administrators navigating tragedy and school-related violence. The student-based council held an open application session for students in the state’s five different safety regions in April. Applicants were then interviewed virtually before 16 members were ultimately selected in May.
The student-led Council falls under the umbrella of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and Ohio School Safety Center. Council members work together to identify school safety concerns and develop innovative solutions to address them through strategic engagement that encourages their peers to maintain a safe school experience while focusing on the overall well-being of students.
Student Advisory Council liaisons kicked of the year by attending the School Safety Symposium in July and have since met virtually on a monthly basis. Virtual meetings include selecting monthly themes that encourage student engagement on school campuses and in their respective communities. October, also School Safety Month, offered many opportunities to promote student, faculty, and community well-being. Early in the month, West Liberty-Salem welcomed Captain Frank Scott, inspirational speaker and internet safety expert, to share his Digital Empowerment Project to students and families. Ava was able to sit down with Captain Frank to talk more about his message and how she can continue the discussion around online safety, especially to the adolescent and young adults her council impacts the most. Ava also has specific initiatives that included World Unity Day, School Bus Safety Week, and Community Service Day.
On Tuesday, October 17th, Ava asked high school students to join her in thanking her school transportation department for making safety a top priority for our bus riders. Students signed certificates of appreciation in the Media Center during their homeroom and joined her in presenting the certificates to bus drivers on Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday of the same week, she asked that all students wear orange, West Liberty-Salem school color, to promote unity on World Unity Day, a day that happened to also fall on West Liberty-Salem’s Community Service Day. Ava Johnson spent the afternoon visiting the various community service sites where her peers were volunteering gathering information about their projects and taking photos to share with Advisory Council at their November meeting.
Ava will spend the remainder of the school year sharing information from events like the these with the Advisory Council. The student led group will also participate in focus groups that highlight student success and safety best practices to share directly with the Ohio School Safety Council and the Governors Ohio School Safety Working Group. Student Safety Advisory Council members are required to participate for at least one year; however, Ava plans to stay on the Advisory Council through graduation. To learn more about the Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council visit Student Resources | Ohio School Safety Center.