Long Beach High School (LBHS) is proud to announce the addition of two LBHS students, Stokley Sawyer and Christina Strahan, to the State Superintendent’s Students Advisory Council. The council consists of students in grades 11-12 or their first year of college. They, along with 42 other new appointees, will serve two-year terms on the board and join the 85 returning members. Sawyer and Strahan were selected from a starting pool of more than 200 students from across the state who started the process and 76 who completed the application.
In a release from the Mississippi State Department of Education, State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright congratulated the new board members.
“Members of the Student Advisory Council offer tremendous insight about their educational experiences and contribute valuable ideas about how to advance public education in Mississippi,” Wright said. “They are an excellent model for their peers across the state. I am looking forward to meeting the newest cohort and working with them to ensure all students have the support and opportunities they need to be successful.”
Long Beach High School Principal Justin Sutton is proud of his students’ selection to the state board.
“As a high school principal, you are always excited when you see students answer the challenge that comes with a leadership role such as being named to the State Superintendent's Student Advisory Council,” Sutton said. “I know Christina and Stokley will do a great job representing the interests of not only all of the students in Long Beach, but students around the state, and I know this council will benefit from having these two Bearcats as members.”
The council’s purpose is to provide a forum for Mississippi’s students to offer diverse perspectives to Wright. The selected students will act as liaisons between MDE and public-school students from across the state. Full council meetings will be held at least twice during the school year.
