SHELBY — Several Shelby students are helping make a difference in their district and community.
The high school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter organized numerous events for students this past school year, including a distracted driving program and a veterans appreciation night.
Shelby High School FCCLA members Olivia Byrd and Sophie Penn presented achievements from 2024-2025 to the Shelby Board of Education during Monday’s meeting. Kelly Jung, FCCLA advisor, was also in attendance.
“I think it’s extremely valuable for them to have the opportunities that they have through FCCLA,” Jung said.
Shelby FCCLA was awarded a $1,200 grant from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office to assist with the distracted driving event, Penn said.
Weeks prior to the event, students created one-of-a-kind cars out of cardboard boxes donated by Shelby’s Carton Service. Staff at Shelby voted on the four top designs, which earned a spot in a race around the high school gymnasium.
Each lap of the race was completed by a different student, who had to complete a different distracted driving task — including eating, makeup and hair, texting and drunk driving.
The event included a powerful message from school resource officer Hannah Hall.
Honor our Heroes Night
Byrd said the chapter also organized an “Honor our Heroes Night” during a home Shelby football game last fall.
Prior to the game, all Shelby High School students were invited to write messages on American flags — which were later displayed near the entrance of the Whippet Athletic Complex.
The FCCLA also welcomed veterans and their families to a pregame tailgate, she said.
“We raised $900 and bought a POW (prisoners of war) chair, which is being installed this summer and we will have a dedication for it Sept. 19,” Byrd said.
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Accessibility to menstrual products
In early March, Byrd said she met with Shelby Superintendent Michael Browning to discuss access to menstrual products in district bathrooms.
When Ohio lawmakers passed House Bill 33 in 2023, included legislation made it a requirement for districts to provide free feminine hygiene products in school restrooms for grades six through 12.
Byrd surveyed Shelby middle and high school students to learn more about their thoughts on what is available to them at school.
She found that 90 percent of respondents said they struggle to find feminine hygiene products and 85 percent said having access to these products would help them return to their class more quickly.
Kim Nadolsky, vice president of the Shelby Board of Education, said she liked the survey Byrd conducted and specified its value to district students.