Two Bartlesville High Schools students were recently named to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister's 2020 Student Advisory Council.

Chuck McCauley, the Superintendent for Bartlesville Public Schools, said he was pleased to recommend Senior Stone Yang and Junior Elijah Winters to sit on the Council. He said they are both well rounded academically.

Both students are also very talented. Yang is an accomplished musician as he plays the cello and sings for the community. Winters recently have a lead role in a Bartlesville Children's Musical Theater performance.

Superintendent McCauley said the BPS District does what it can to ensure that a student’s voice is heard in the decision making process locally. He said students are the most important assets any school district has because they are the ones that are making the difference in education.

High School Principal LaDonna Chancellor had recommended that Yang be on Superintendent McCauley's Student Advisory Council when it launched approximately two years ago. It became evident to Superintendent McCauley that Yang would be a great representative for Bartlesville moving forward.

Yang is the Student Body President, he serves on a Student Council at the state level, and he has proven to be an excellent public speaker. Last spring and summer, Yang was an advocate for BPS as he spoke to the public on different occasions about the 2019 Bond Issue in Bartlesville. That bond would pass with an 80-percent approval rate.

When reflecting on his own Student Advisory Council, Superintendent McCauley said he works with four juniors and four seniors that are selected by high school administrators. He said they meet quarterly over lunch and discuss what is going right and what can be improved.

For example, Granger Meador, the District's Executive Director of Technology and Communications, attended a meeting recently to discuss the technology initiative within the schools. Superintendent McCauley said their input is never taken for granted and that they have provided great insight that they would not have without the establishment of the Council. He said he loves the time he gets to spend with the students.

Bartlesville has always had a strong public education system. Yang and Winters are prime examples of the effectiveness the system has on developing and encouraging strong, public leaders that are meant to take center stage. And both come from great families as Winters has an older sibling that is studying at the University of Oklahoma. Both have bright siblings that are younger than them as well.

The biggest stage for Yang and Winters now is the State Capitol in Oklahoma City. Superintendent McCauley said it is important that their voice is heard on the state level.

Yang was on this stage last year as State Superintendent Hoftmeister named him to her 2019 Student Advisory Council. He is one of 24 returners from a year ago. Meanwhile, Winters is new to the game, but Superintendent McCauley has no doubts that he will pick it up quickly like Yang did. He said both will make a big difference for Bartlesville and the State of Oklahoma.

The BPS District is proud that it has two students that will assist State Superintendent Hofmeister and the Oklahoma State Department of Education in matters of policy. Superintendent McCauley said not many districts in Oklahoma had two students chosen to represent their school.

Yang and Winters will join 102 high school students from across the State of Oklahoma to assist State Superintendent Hofmeister and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. He said this is the fifth consecutive year the group has convened and that he is pleased that Hofmeister is using this initiative to give students a voice so they can make an impact of education.

The 2020 Student Advisory Council is scheduled to meet at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29th in the State Capitol.