Pittsburgh Public Schools students gather for inaugural conference

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - About 200 students from all across the Pittsburgh Public Schools district are using their voices to make a change. 

"Today shows we can come together," said Tyrique Whitson, a senior at Science and Technology Academy. "It's time to be a leader; step up."

They gathered for the inaugural Student Voice Conference in the Energy Innovation Center.  

"It's very important to have student voice lifted, because if we don't have student voice, we're not going to have a district that is for students and policies that are geared towards us," said Whitson.

Whitson is one of the eight students who organized the Student Voice Conference. They spoke to other students about leadership, networking, digital footprint, political advocacy and mental health.

Abby Blank, a junior at Allderdice High School, spoke about improving mental health. 

"With the rise in school shootings across the country, COVID, ups and downs, that can take a great mental toll on students, myself especially," said Blank. "Making sure that everybody has the tools to advocate for that and making sure PPS is providing those tools that are necessary is very important."

In another classroom, Dylan Shapiro,  a senior at Obama Academy, educated students about voting. 

"Just because you're not 18 and you can't vote, doesn't mean you cannot engage," said Shapiro. "We want to see change for the better. I want to be able to give as many people as possible the tools they need to make that change for themselves."

Shapiro said students' voices are critical, and he hopes school leaders can hear them loud and clear. 

"We're here; we're doing the work," said Shapiro. "We're setting the groundwork, not just for me, I'm going to be graduating in a month. It's long term. We're trying to make it so students' voices are represented in our district, in our city, in our county, in our region and we have the power to do that, but we need engagement from our elected officials from these adults, in order to accomplish that goal."  

Interim Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters said he's all ears. 

"They're our customers," said Walters. "They're our greatest commodity and they're our future. Student voice has to be invaluable. They're the ones who are being educated. They're the ones who are going to transform and change the world."

And Walters said he'll continue to help them put their words into action. 

In:
• Pittsburgh Public Schools