By Adam Swift
The City Council looked to the accomplishments and activism of some of the city’s younger residents at Monday night’s meeting.
Matthew Terrell, the chair of the Revere High School Student Senate, gave a presentation on that group’s activities and accomplishments, setting up what Council President Anthony Cogliandro said he hoped would be a continued dialogue with the student senate.
Terrell said he was excited by Cogliandro’s invitation to appear before the council and show everyone who the student senate is and what it does. He said the student senate’s 40 members represent the school’s diverse population.
“We fight for the student voice and we fight for all things students, and we are working to create a better community,” said Terrell.
Terrell chairs the student senate, and additional leadership includes vice chair Erta Ismahili and clerk Endurance Nkeh. He added that the senate works closely with School Committee student representatives Raihon Ahmend and Salsabil Mendoza.
The student senate typically meets on district half days where it holds committee meetings, works with administrators, and votes on new ideas and initiatives it would like to pursue.
Among the subcommittees is one focused on student engagement and school spirit.
“It works on looking at the building and how to make it a better space, and it also elevates the student voice in general,” said Terrell.
Some of the subcommittee’s activities include producing the monthly Student Senate Star in the Revere Journal and connecting with the community through various social media channels. The subcommittee was also responsible for painting murals on the third floor of the high school as part of a beautification program.
The school scheduling subcommittee works toward creating more inclusive opportunities for all students. Currently, Terrell said that subcommittee is focused on working with school staff and administration on the successful reintroduction of the honors programs in the middle and high schools.
The student and staff communications subcommittee works on both internal and external communications for the community, including an internal newspaper for students and producing election videos for candidates for city office.
“The mental health subcommittee works to ensure the mental health needs of Revere High School are met and provides resources,” said Terrell. “We have so many great untapped resources in the community … but students don’t know how to get those resources, so we are trying to create one site they can look at to be able to see all of these.”
The work with the School Committee student representatives includes advocating at the state and national level for legislation that will benefit students, including a push for mandatory financial literacy classes in all state high schools.
Several councilors praised Terrell for his advocacy for students and the work of the student senate. Cogliandro said he would like to see regular interaction with the student senate and the council as a way to bridge gaps between the city’s younger and older populations.
“We couldn’t do it without all the people behind me, all the members of the student senate, and also the people in the community who have rallied behind us,” said Terrell.
