In a plethora of different ways, student leadership and activism have taken a completely different shape, and 2020 has been the year that spearheaded these movements. Both local and national student-led organizations and groups have been at the forefront of different protests, marches, and events to spread awareness for various causes and spark change.

At the local level, North Allegheny students have led many initiatives. Despite the immense hurdles that were thrown at them, students have found ways to be leaders through it all. 

Here are a few examples that highlight a year of student leadership and activism in North Allegheny. 

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NA For Change

In June, amid the protests after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a group of North Allegheny students created an organization called NA For Change, which, according to its biography, is “an independent, student-led movement working to uplift students and alumni for a better tomorrow.” 

The group was created to organize events supporting equality, starting with the Black Lives Matter movement. NA For Change has organized many different events, including a protest at Blueberry Park and a virtual concert. They’ve also sat in on school board meetings and created a petition to address issues regarding racism within the school district. The petition received over 1700 signatures from students, staff, alumni, community members, and other educators to introduce anti-racist education into the North Allegheny curriculum.

NA For Change also released student testimonials that they received from their petition. An Instagram post on September 4th received a lot of attention and collected over 400 comments from different students and other local members chiming in on the testimonials. The post referenced different forms of racism, sexism, and other insensitive comments. The testimonials were also presented at the June 2020 school board meeting to bring to attention the issue and advocate for the group’s cause.

In October, the group was criticized by PA State Congressman-Elect Rob Mercuri for pushing radical views on education. The group released a statement calling Mercuri’s comments “harmful misinformation.”

Despite the handful of controversies regarding NA For Change, the group has unleashed a new version of student activism.

Grading Policy Petition

At the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, the district introduced a new grade calculation system for the high school level. The system was met with intense scrutiny by students, parents, and teachers alike. The real effects of the system were not seen until about a month into the new year. Many students saw their grades lower as a result of tests holding a higher weight over classwork. 

Consequently, a group of NAI students created a petition to protest the new grading system. The petition received almost 3,000 signatures that were presented to the district. The students who created the petition were in direct contact with NAI principal Mrs. Ewing.

Within two weeks of the petition being started, the district gave teachers the option to continue to use the 70/30 system or go back to the total points system. Although North Allegheny did not specifically reference the petition in its decision, many believe the vast amount of signatures presented caused a change to the system.  

NA TigerThon

Despite the global pandemic, NA TigerThon has continued to work towards their goal of assuring no child fights cancer alone. Despite their main event being cancelled last year, the group raised over $76,000 for pediatric cancer research. This school year, TigerThon is still going strong, hosting numerous safe events, such as a car wash and a drive by trick-or-treat.

The main dance marathon is still scheduled for May 16th, 2021, and the group is continues to raise money through other fundraisers, including pepperoni roll sales and partnerships with local restaurants.

Pottery for Patients 

NASH Senior Olivia Schenk created a program called Pottery for Patients, which receives unclaimed pottery works from local school districts and distributes them to those in nursing homes. She personally explains the program and its impact in an NATV video. Schenk also gifts other items with the pottery, such as deodorant, shampoo, and hand sanitizer.

She created the program after seeing how many unclaimed art pieces were at NASH at the end of last year. The impressive work of NA students has had an incredible effect on those who have received the pottery. 

Schenk has worked with numerous members of NASH, including Mr. Matthews, Mr. Dresmech, Mr. Morris, and fellow NASH Senior Abby Pingpank to expand the program.

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Even in an uncertain year, North Allegheny students seemed unfazed in their desires to help others and bring about the change they saw required. Those efforts continued despite school closures and remote learning. Whether it was through political protests, petitions against grading systems, or numerous events to help those in the community, they made a difference.

The work of students throughout the area has led to the betterment of those across the community. Here’s to another year of it doing the same.