OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Molly Shaw, Silver Creek Student Board Member, read a land acknowledgment prepared by fellow Silver Creek student Ella Austin to begin a recent Board of Education meeting.

SILVER CREEK — The goal of any school is to set students on a path to make an impact on the world. At a recent meeting of the Silver Creek Board of Education, the impact was clearly felt from the efforts of two Silver Creek students.

Molly Shaw, Silver Creek Student Board Member, read a land acknowledgment prepared by fellow Silver Creek student Ella Austin to begin the meeting.

Following the Pledge of Allegiance, which is customary before every Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston stated that reading a land acknowledgment — that Austin prepared — will be a new tradition at Board meetings moving forward. Austin and her family were on hand to watch from the audience as Shaw read the land acknowledgment aloud in the auditorium.

A land acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes 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.

The Silver Creek Central School District is located on the ancestral land of the Seneca Nation. Austin’s land acknowledgment highlights the deep connection that Indigenous people have with the land they inhabit. In acknowledging the land that now hosts the school, the district is also committing to highlighting the contributions made by the Indigenous community.

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. A representative at the state level also expressed interest in having Austin craft a land acknowledgment for the state.

Later in the meeting, Shaw spoke to her experience so far this year as the first Student Board Member in Silver Creek history. While Silver Creek was ahead of the curve this year, New York State will now require each Board of Education to have a student representative moving forward.

Shaw highlighted her role ensures that student perspectives are considered by district leaders through increased communication. In addition to providing a unique perspective to the Board, students in Shaw’s position benefit from the civic participation of being a Board member.

After her official appointment, Shaw said she was excited “to set an example” at the school district she has attended since Pre-K. Shaw, the Co-President of the Youth Advisory Committee, saw her role on the Board as another opportunity to “really represent what the students need” at Silver Creek.

Shaw’s goals as a Board member include serving as a voice for students throughout the district’s ongoing capital project; further educating students on what the Board of Education is responsible for; and most of all, to “advocate for everyone.”

Shaw meets before and after each Board meeting with Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston to discuss the topics of the meeting and come up with ways to share the information with the rest of the school. She has put together Board meeting recaps to distribute to students across all levels of the district and hopes to present even more often at future Board meetings.

“Overall, I just want to make a positive impact on the district and the community,” Shaw said.

Board of Education President Martha Howard responded with a comment to the auditorium crowd. “Molly has made an impact already,” Howard said. “… We’re just so very proud and happy to have her here.”