Superintendent’s Cadre works for social justice

The 2016–17 Superintendent’s Social Justice Cadre held its initial meeting in November.

A group of Cleveland Heights High School and John Carroll University (JCU) students have teamed up to create positive change in the Heights community.

Sixteen Heights High students, members of the 2016–17 Superintendent’s Social Justice Cadre, met on Nov. 30, at the CH-UH Board of Education building, with eight JCU students from the Arrupe Scholars Program and their director, Associate Professor Malia McAndrew, as well as CH-UH Superintendent Talisa Dixon.

The Arrupe Scholars Program provides JCU students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become advocates for positive social change. The combined cadre was formed when McAndrew and Dixon met and began discussing ways to collaborate.

“The JCU students would work on a project with communities in the city of Cleveland, but we thought, why not do their projects within John Carroll’s community here with our students?” Dixon explained.

After introductions and a few get-to-know-you exercises, the cadre began discussing what would become its main issues of interest, including nondiscrimination, stereotype prevention, sexual assault prevention and educational equity. Cadre members also talked about what their “big project” would be for their March 18 Day of Service.

The group brainstormed future projects, such as planning a community gathering, hosting an open house at the high school, and creating short films about the CH-UH community and schools.

The JCU students expressed eagerness to learn what the CH-UH students might want to work on for the Heights communities, as most of the college students are not originally from this area.

The CH0UH Social Justice Cadre Students are Akash Bartlett, Angelique Hale, Ashley Holder, Callan Swaim-Fox, David Fleischer, Eyrn Briscoe, Isabella Marotta, Jessica Edelman, Joshua Margulies, Kasia Bufford, Mariyah Reed, Paris Colbert, Sydney Watson, Tiamaat Smith and Laurel Matia.

JCU Student Leadership Team members are Marina Giannirakis, Tony Penk, Ryan Fitch, Nikki Fee, Corbyn Martz, Thaija Vincent, Jillian Schaefer and Joseph Rich.

Cathan Cavanaugh

Cathan Cavanaugh is the communications administrative assistant for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District.

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Volume 10, Issue 3, Posted 4:47 PM, 03.06.2017