“People support what they help create,” is one of Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross’s favorite leadership phrases. It’s how she describes Ypsilanti Community Schools’ efforts to elevate student voice and engage learners in initiatives across grade levels.

Zachery-Ross asks students to recommend their classmates to join her Michigan district’s student advisory council. “Student voice must be a part of determining how to elevate student voice,” Zachery-Ross says.

Members of the advisory council wanted to interact more with students from other schools in the district. They created several new student leadership groups and also began planning a multi-high school pep rally.