Active, positive students are making a difference

 

The following column originally appeared in a number of APG of East Central Mn newspapers during April, 2026, including the  APG State News, Aitken Independent Age, Dakota County Tribune, LakerPioneer  Mille Lacs Messenger,  Press & News Sun Current,  SunPost, Sun Sailor,   SunthisWeek, ABC Newspapers,  Union Times

 

Active, positive students are making a difference

 

Please add the names of Kyle Chen, Samia Mohamed, Lawrence Wells, Averie Younge and Thomas to those of constructive, contributing Minnesota youth.

While major TV stations and major newspapers devote most of their youth coverage to those with strong athletic skills, young people like those mentioned above are helping create a better Minnesota. This is not to deny the value of sports, but recognizing and honoring active, positive citizenship is equally important.

Let’s start with younger people.

Rippleside Elementary in Aitkin is one of Minnesota’s most remarkable elementary schools. According to Joshua Smith, advisor to Rippleside’s student council, youth this year have gathered more than 10,000 food items for people in need. Students are promoting an “I Matter, You Matter, We Matter” campaign. In a recent interview, Thomas, one of those students, explained that “the campaign is talking about how in recent years, with social media, it’s so easy to target somebody online or even physically. We want to take the negativity away and make a positive impact.” More information is on their March 24 Facebook post.

Wells, a student at Paladin Career and Technical Academy in Coon Rapids, has contacted members of the Minnesota House Education Funding Committee. Legislators are considering creating a task force to help reduce student absenteeism, initially with only one student and 16 adults. Wells wrote: “It is important to hear directly from students like me who understand the real barriers many young people, including me, have faced and are currently (facing).” Wells recommended that more student members are needed, representing a variety of experiences.

Lawrence Wells testifying in Mn House Education Committee

Mohamed, a high school student from Bloomington, was invited to speak on a March 18 panel with U.S. senators in Washington, D.C. She represents Bloomington high school students on the district’s school board. Mohamed was asked, among other things, what she thought about President Donald Trump’s reference to Somalis as “garbage” and Somalia as a “sh–hole country.”

 

Samia Mohamud testifying in Washington DC

She responded: “Something I love about the Somali community in Minnesota is that we fought back against these remarks by making it seem like a joke … we came together as a community. We didn’t take him seriously. Obviously, the emotions at first were hurt and anger. I still feel that to this day. But if anything, it brought our community closer together. It allowed us to advocate for ourselves.” She starts testifying at 31:30 in this tape and responds to questions at 51.30.

Two young people are leading a campaign to encourage more use of youth insights throughout Minnesota. Chen and Younge are juniors. He attends Eagan High School, and she attends Shakopee High School. They, like many other youngsters, recognize that high school students have valuable insights from which local school boards could benefit. They’ve started a campaign to allow – but not require – local boards to include 16- and 17-year-old students in school board elections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Averie Younge speaking at Mn State Capitol

Kyle Chen Speaking at the Mn State Capitol

Chen and Younge cite research showing that when voting ages were lowered in other countries, each place reported “increased levels of political awareness, civic engagement, and substantially higher rates of habitual voting.” Former Eden Prairie public school teacher and long-time student advocate Sen. Steve Cwodzinski has introduced Senate File 1557 to help move this idea ahead. More information here: vote16mn.org.

Finally, if you’re seeking 1-35 minutes of inspiration, check out these extraordinary musicians of the National Youth Orchestra. They’re playing Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” at Carnegie Hall (orchestration by Maurice Ravel).

The current NYO includes Minnesotans Sophia Alexander, Minneapolis; Samuel Dangerfield, St. Paul; Christian Garner, Minnetonka; Solanite Ketema, Rosemount; Dori Olana, Austin; Anna Pitsavas Wakely, Northfield; and Ezra Kuza, St. Paul. Discover more here.

Here’s a closing thought from award-winning British historian George Macaulay Trevelyan: “Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting for centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing.”

Joe Nathan taught U.S. history for more than 40 years. He founded and directed the Center for School Change. Reactions welcome, joe@centerforschoolchange.org.