Mayor hears concerns from middle school students
Shelby Mayor Stan Anthony is pretty used to talking about the goings on of the city with other adults. On Thursday, he got some feedback from a much younger crowd.
Anthony spent more than an hour Thursday morning with middle school students at the Communities in Schools summer camp. After giving a brief overview of how the city government operates and what his job entails, Anthony spoke with students about issues that mattered to them - litter, housing, fun activities for young people and gun violence in schools.
"That one touched my head. That's something I was not expecting. I think it says a lot about how that's a big issue for kids," said Anthony after his talk ended.
Speaking to concerns campers had about litter, Anthony said he was encouraged to hear some are already working to pick up trash where they see it.
"The litter thing may seem so trivial, but it is one of the biggest issues in our community. I get so many calls about that. I was thrilled to hear they acknowledged it and were doing something about it," he said.
After talking about it, some students said they were excited to learn about the city's rail trail project. The first phase of that project is set to break ground this year, and the city recently applied for a federal grant that, if awarded, would pay for the construction of the entire trail.
"He said it will go all the way to South Carolina. It will go right by Shelby Middle School. Next year I will be 14, and I'm ready for it. I want to walk on it to school," said Jaterias Kee, a rising seventh grader attending the camp.
Anthony's visit was one of two planned for the Communities in Schools camp on Thursday, and he was one of several visitors to come to the camp this summer.
The camp, which runs from June to August, offers summer learning and activities for middle school aged students in Shelby. Every day students do a mixture of academic work and fun activities. So far this summer students have made their own ice cream and learned how to bake their own pizzas.
Heather Bridges Moore, president and CEO of Communities in Schools, said the goal of the camp is to give young people a safe place to spend their day out of school. During the school year the organization also runs after school programs.
"The ultimate goal is dropout prevention. To offer a place for structure here in their community and to expose them to things they might not otherwise have exposure to," she said.
If students have a place to foster positive relationships with their peers and with teachers, they are more likely to persist in education, she added.
After Anthony left the camp, rising sixth grader Shyeim Mobley said he was appreciative of the chance to speak directly to the mayor and a chance to share that he thinks the city could do more to improve the environment and help the homeless.
"He took time out of his day to talk to us. That tells me he wants to hear everybody's voice," he said. "And we need to help out people all of the time, like our homeless and other people."
Dustin George can be reached at 704-669-3337 or Dustin.George@ShelbyStar.com.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Shelby Mayor visits summer camp
