Tucson Teen Town Hall participants take advocacy to Capitol

Tucson students taking part in a Teen Town Hall tackled topics including mental health, substance abuse, education inequities, climate justice, civic engagement and college access.

Sixty-five students from 10 high schools in four school districts participated this spring in the Metropolitan Education Commission's 29th Annual Teen Town Hall at Pima Community College's Downtown Campus.

This event engaged local high school students in discussion on societal issues determined by members of the Youth Advisory Council of the Metropolitan Education Commission, which is a joint body of the city of Tucson and Pima County dedicating to advancing the welfare of learners and educators.

"The Teen Town Hall not only empowers young people to articulate their challenges and ideas but also provides them with a platform to influence real change," said Rocque Perez, executive director of the commission. "Our students’ advocacy at the state capitol, informed by their peers, is a testament to the power of their voices and the potential of youth-led advocacy in shaping a better future for all.”

Key findings from the Teen Town Hall included:

● A significant lack of accessible mental health resources within schools, prompting an interest in dedicated support spaces, integrating mental health education into curricula, and increasing the availability of on-campus counselors.

● Inadequate education on substance abuse leading to uninformed choices among youth, prompting an interest in comprehensive drug prevention programs in school curricula and community outreach initiatives.

● Persistent disparities in access to educational resources negatively affecting learning outcomes, prompting an interest in systemic reforms to ensure equitable distribution of resources and opportunities across all schools and districts.

● Low youth involvement in civic processes and decision-making, prompting an interest in lowering the voting age, making Election Day a national holiday, and enhancing civic education in schools to foster informed and engaged young citizens.

● Climate change disproportionately impacting marginalized communities without adequate education or action plans, prompting an interest in enacting climate education programs, supporting clean energy transitions, and initiating community-led actions.

Members of the Youth Advisory Council engaged state leaders at the Arizona State Capitol, including an introduction to Gov. Katie Hobbs and discussions with Rep. Mariana Sandoval and Robbie Sherwood, communications director for the House Democrats. These discussions allowed students to directly advocate for policy considerations and legislative solutions.

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“We spoke with individuals who truly valued our thoughts and opinions on community issues and engaged people once in the same shoes as us. It was incredibly empowering and something everyone should have the opportunity to do,” said Aralin Cajas, a high school student and member of the Youth Advisory Council.”

The town hall was facilitated by the Youth Advisory Council and the Center for Community Mediation and Facilitation.

Vail to get new school

Vail Unified School District will have a groundbreaking on May 2 for its new addition: Saguaro Creek K-8.

The school — Vail’s 22nd — will be located in the Rocking K development at 8150 S. Rocking K Ranch Loop. It is set to open in July of 2025. Saguaro Creek will host students aged preschool to eighth grade.

University High makes Top 10

Tucson Unified School District’s University High School is ranked in the top 10 Arizona High Schools in U.S News’ annual school rankings.

The publication recently released its 2024 rankings. It named BASIS Peoria as the top high school in Arizona.

U.S. News identifies the top-ranked Best High Schools by how well they serve their students academically focusing on six indicators: college readiness, college curriculum, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance and graduation rate.