What they will remember is the impact they had on others and how others impacted them. One specific program at Silver Creek is designed to emphasize students making a positive impact on the world around them.

At a recent Board of Education meeting, a dozen Silver Creek High School students spoke to the impact they have made on their community through participating in the Seal of Civic Readiness program.

Silver Creek teachers Kristen Foley and Anthony DiGennaro oversee the course, which stresses civic engagement and knowledge in its students as they prepare for graduation. Focus areas include leadership, communication, and community service. The program began in 2021, and formal recognition upon graduation is given to students who complete the course.

In his final year at Silver Creek before moving on to study mathematics at Cornell University on a full scholarship, Kaden Weeks dedicated his time and effort to support the district in a way to benefit all students and staff.

Shown is the Silver Creek Veterans Wall, which features more than 400 U.S. veterans honored through the work of the students enrolled in the Seal of Civic Readiness program.

Through the Seal of Civic Readiness program, Weeks evaluated the district’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and studied Section 804 of the New York State Education Law, which mandates a school’s health education programs recognize mental health and its connection to physical health. Weeks studied the resources available to the district and proposed the consolidation of services to create a Mental Health Department within the district, designed to address the needs of students and staff more effectively and efficiently.

“What I took away from the whole experience was that I, as a student leader, can use my power to influence others and encourage them,” Weeks said.

Ella Austin represented Indigenous culture through her project as she crafted land acknowledgements on behalf of the district. Austin researched the importance of land acknowledgements, which are formal statements that recognize groups who were forced from their homes in the past. Land acknowledgements honor Indigenous history and the ongoing impacts to the communities removed from their lands. Land acknowledgements can provide a basis for building a stronger relationship with the native communities.

Austin crafted four land acknowledgements for the district to be shared at informal meetings, at key events such as graduation, during elementary school announcements, and during middle/high school announcements. Austin met with all three district principals, the director of curriculum and the superintendent through the process. Austin also met with representatives from New York State about the possibility of crafting land acknowledgments at the state level, which Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston said gave her “goosebumps” to share with the Board.

Marissa Grisanti helped organize a golf tournament to benefit her own classmates as they approach graduation. The tournament raised over $7,000 to cover a sizable portion of the cost of caps and gowns, cords/stoles for officers of the class, and senior class trip vouchers. Grisanti was in charge of promoting the event, booking a venue along with food and drinks, and organized a basket raffle to support her cause.

OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Kaden Weeks, a senior at Silver Creek High School, proposed the consolidation of services to create a Mental Health Department within the district.

“I gained a new respect and love for community service, even more when it involves the people of Silver Creek,” Grisanti said.

Mattison Larson organized a four-square tournament to raise funds for the Silver Creek Food Pantry. Like Grisanti, Larson was also in charge of promoting her event and securing the date for it to be held. Larson also baked goods for a bake sale held at the event that she covered the cost for herself.

“This ended up showing me that I wanted to do more for the community, as well as being able to take our community and put them all together to do something fun,” Larson said.

Josie Daniels used the Civic Seal program to hone her skills through public speaking. Daniels worked on a speech for the United Nations, focused on unsafe working conditions and child labor, to show how her voice can impact governmental processes through civic engagement to raise awareness of issues.

Makayla Kelly earned recognition for her involvement with the school’s Knights Against Cancer club. Kelly volunteered at events with Roswell Park, and also not only organized but also participated in Silver Creek’s Bald for Bucks fundraiser.

Alexander Karnes dedicated his time to help create a wall of honor to recognize U.S. veterans.

“This showed me how much of an impact it makes. I’ve seen how many people in our community were affected by cancer so that really pushed me to want to be more involved,” Kelly said.

While some students have been working toward the Civic Seal for many years, Ana Szymanek was in the unique position of not knowing how close she was to earning the honor just for what she had already done in the community prior to her senior year. Szymanek organized events for Earth Day and maintained the Courtyard Garden, as well as volunteering at the school store.

Ethan Vecchio also focused on volunteering to earn the Civic Seal. He has been involved with the Key Club, the Youth Advisory Committee, and the National Honor Society. He also participated in the Polar Plunge event to benefit the Special Olympics.

Karissa Buchanan and Alexander Karnes were two of several students who dedicated their time to create a wall of honor to recognize U.S. veterans. With help from the local VFW, Silver Creek students collected over 400 submissions to honor on the Veterans Wall.

“This project was extremely impactful, as many community members shared how appreciative they were to be honored and a part of our project,” Buchanan said.

Karnes credited Deanna Borrello of the Silver Creek VFW for teaching him leadership and communication skills, as well as the importance of the VFW and honoring local veterans.

Adeline Richardson held a bake sale during a varsity girls basketball game to raise money to support the family of a U.S. veteran during the holiday season through WNY Heroes. Richardson recalled how her family received gifts from their local church when they first moved to the area, so she wanted to return the favor to another deserving family.

Xavier Myers also supported local veterans through volunteering with his local AMVETS organization. Myers felt the desire to support veterans’ causes because his mother is a veteran. He has completed more than 200 hours of community service since ninth grade.

“In a small community, it’s not always about you, it’s about helping others,” Myers said.

Also at the recent Board of Education meeting, the district recognized foreign exchange student Pearl Padi. She attended the district this year representing her home country of Ghana through the AFS Intercultural Exchange program. Padi presented the U.S. Department of State Medallion Member School Certificate to Ralston and Board of Education President Martha Howard at the meeting.

“She truly was just a key part of the class this year. It was amazing being able to have her here,” Ralston said. “… Our students had a whole different experience this year because of her being part of the class.”