Piqua High School student selected for Student Safety Advisory Council

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By Haylee Pence

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PIQUA — A Piqua High School junior is one of 16 Ohio students selected for the Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council.

The creation and selection of students for the Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council was recently announced by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. The goal of the council is to help “identify school safety concerns and develop innovative solutions to address them,” according to a press release from Gov. DeWine. Students who were interested in the council had to submit an application which included four 250-word essays and a letter of recommendation from a teacher.

Marin Funderburg is very involved in activities both with the school and outside the school. She is the vice-president of Student Council and participates in Link Leaders, Interact Club, Model UN, Varsity Golf, and National Honor Society. Outside the school, Funderburg volunteers with the Piqua Public Library as a Book Buddy and works as a secretary at McCulloch, Felger, Fite, & Gutmann Co., LPA.

“School safety is important to me. I want to be able to provide a student’s opinion on things that affect us the most,” Funderburg said. “I’m really honored to be involved in making schools a better and safer place for others.”

Funderburg doesn’t have major concerns about the safety of Piqua High School, but wants to strive to make the school even more inclusive and have the students and staff be more respectful of each other and their differences.

“School safety to me means being able to go into school and not being worried about being unsafe, uncomfortable, being bullied. It means that you’re valued and can get a good education,” Funderburg said.

The council will be meeting monthly following the first meeting at the Ohio School Safety Summit on Aug. 2 to 4 in Columbus. The council will be able to meet the other council members and attend various panels on safety and security within schools, including internet safety.

“I’m very excited to attend this summit and being able to meet the other council members. I’m excited to learn new things and see all the council’s different perspectives,” said Funderburg.

When asked what she would like to say to the students at Piqua High School, Funderburg replied, “I’m very honored. I want to be able to bring and address your concerns at these meetings. I hope more of you will feel comfortable in bringing your concerns to me and more comfortable and safer at school.”

Finally, Funderburg would like to thank her ASL teacher, Sarah Taylor, for writing her letter of recommendation for the application. She would also like to thank both of her parents for always supporting her and her efforts and encouraging her.

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