Crestview Sophomores Join Neighboring High Schools
With Effort to Lead and Help the Community
by Gage Eldridge
Five Crestview sophomore students participated in a capstone project for the
Young Leaders Institute this school year. The students had worked on this project from
October of 2023 to March of 2024 where they would go on to present the project in front
of a committee of stakeholders in the Sterkel Community Park for All in Richland county. The
Young Leaders Institute started this program back in 2002 before it had to stop in 2016. They
started the program back up this school year. Students Ezra Stevens, Jack Stephens, Karter
Goon, Kandyce Abbott, and Tori Kidney all had a big part to play in the project.
Only sophomores are able to sign up for the program. Principal Shawn Skelly
recommended the program to the students and all five jumped right on board to complete the
application process. “I joined the program to try something different and the opportunity to work
on something big,” said sophomore Tori Kidney.
There were in total 34 students from local high schools that took part in the program and
worked on the capstone project. Many of the students had different roles in the project so they
worked closely with other students from other schools such as Mansfield Senior, Ashland,
Ontario, and others.
“It was great to see the students learning from each other about what their communities
are like,” said Angie Cirone the Mansfield-Richland Area Educational Foundation
Director. When the program started in October the students learned what they would be doing
for the project. They were assigned to find a way to attract people to come to Sterkel
Community Park for All in Richland county. The park is going through a rebuild that will
include a playground and different recreation equipment for children and adults with disabilities.
The group had visited Richland county to learn about its history and to learn more
about the future of Richland county. They also listened to many speakers that talked
about the Richland county and about leadership. After this the group began working on
the project. They split into smaller groups to work on a specific part of the project. Some
of the students were note takers, others took part in researching how they could attract
more people to the park; some began to write ideas they came up with, others made the
slides for the presentation, and there were those who helped give the presentation.
In March the students gave the presentation to the Sterkel Park committee. Sophomore
Ezra Stevens was a part of that group. He mentioned that it was nerve-racking to give
that presentation at first, but once it got started he felt comfortable to help lead the
presentation.
“I definitely think they took what we said into consideration. We all worked so hard on this
project. I would feel really proud in 30 years to see Sterkel park become a landmark in the county,
and I would think 'Wow, I was a part of that!', ” said Stevens.
Principal Shawn Skelly is proud of what his students were able to accomplish with the
program. “It has been an extraordinary experience to see our students collaborate with
other local schools. This program has given students an opportunity to meet local
business owners, government officials, and other leaders in the local community. These
types of real-word experiences cannot be replicated inside the classroom and
unfortunately went away in many cases during and after the Covid pandemic, so I am
extremely thankful for Angie Cirone, the Mansfield-Richland Area Educational
Foundation, and all of the sponsors who made this program possible. I look forward to
the next group of students who get to participate in this unique experience,” said Mr.
Skelly.