It’s less than a month away now and excitement is building about the first annual Student Community Collaboration Conference, that will be held Saturday, November 4th from 7:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Newark High School.
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Keynote speaker Chris Koch, who shares his message “If I Can. . . . “ around the world will kick off the event in the NHS auditorium at which he will share his compelling story of resiliency and how he has not let limitations or obstacles in his life stand in the way of achieving his goals and dreams. He encourages others to do the same so that they don’t hold themselves back from connecting with others and making an impact on their community.
“We encourage parents to also join us for our amazing keynote speaker from 8:15 – 9:15 a.m. in the auditorium,” said Superintendent Susan Hasenauer.
In keeping with Koch’s message, “If I Can . . . We Can Too: Building Community Together” is the theme of the conference that has been carefully designed to help students in grades 9-12:
• Increase their leadership skills • Learn how to set goals • Understand how they can
become a vital part of their community and be able to share their voice, ideas and personal strengths in a way that will lead to positive change, both personally and in communities in which they live.
“This conference will bring students and community leaders together to gain an understanding how all community members, regardless of age, sex, demographics…etc., are at the heart of healthy communities and by becoming actively involved they can be an integral facet of a shared commitment greater than themselves,” Hasenauer said. “Our community’s success, both inside and outside of the school, depends on everyone. This conference is one way in which students have an opportunity to understand they too can make a difference and by sharing their voice, they can impact future generations.”
A collaborative team has carefully planned the Saturday program that will offer more than two dozen sessions covering themes of empowerment, ownership, goal setting, leadership, belonging, serving others and community, and which will presented by both Newark Central School District staff and area leaders. Students will choose three sessions they wish to attend.
The overarching objectives of the sessions are to help students:
• Understand how not to let limitations or obstacles in their lives stand in the way of setting and achieving their goals and dreams.
• Understand everyone has a purpose, a gift, and self-esteem that thrive when they understand themselves and recognize their personal strengths so that they can set both short and long-term goals.
• Understand how being a part of a community allows them to recognize they are a part of something greater than themselves and, regardless of who they are, they can have a positive impact on those around them.
• Understand how local community members have impacted their community and how they too can make an impact by leveraging their leadership skills.
“We are very excited that the Newark School District, in conjunction with the Village of Newark, are co-hosting this conference and encourage ALL students in grades 9-12 to participate,” Hasenauer said.
NHS Principal Kelly A. Zielke agrees.
“This is a great opportunity for students to hone their leadership skills, set some long term goals, and connect with our community. It sets them up to be productive citizens and reach their highest potential,” she said.
Newark Mayor Jonathan Taylor, who both heard Chris Koch speak and had lunch with him at a National Holstein Association Conference in South Dakota in 2022, said he thinks the opportunity for students and parents to hear Koch’s inspiring message November 4th is a “tremendous one.”
“He was born with no arms and legs and travels and speaks all over the world. His really powerful message “If I Can” will inspire students to realize they too can do anything,” he said. “The break-out sessions at this conference Nov. 4th will also inspire students and help develop their leadership skills.”
Taylor said the Village of Newark truly values input from students, noting it was sought in focus groups during the competitive Downtown Revitalization Initiative process that ultimately led to Newark learning in December 2022 it was being awarded a $10 million DRI award.
The Mayor said students are currently providing input for the design plans for the new Health and Wellness Center and upgrades to the T. Spencer Knight Park.
Newark Police Chief Richard Martin, Ph.D., who will be one of the presenters at the conference, is also hoping many students will participate.
“I think it is important for high schoolers to understand that they are all leaders, even if they are just leading themselves. Because the most difficult person we're even going to lead is ourselves. One of the main reasons for this event is to help students increase their leadership skills. Many of the sessions involve helping the students to learn about themselves because self-awareness is always the first step in leadership development. We have to know ourselves to grow ourselves and the more we do that, the more obstacles we can overcome in order to achieve our goals.’’
A complete package with information about each session, registration information and more has been sent to parents from Hasenauer via ParentSquare. The deadline for registration for this conference is October 13th.