Ayers Chosen for Youth Leadership Council

HELENA – Seeley Lake Elementary eighth-grader Hannah Ayers never dreamed she would have the opportunity to discuss childhood hunger around the table where the Montana Constitution was signed and have lunch with the governor, lieutenant governor and the first lady. This became a reality when she was one of 20 students chosen for the Governor and First Lady Youth Leadership Council that met Nov. 17 in Helena.

The intent of the council is to empower students from seventh grade through senior year to implement a childhood hunger fight in their communities. According to Feeding America data from 2015, 22 percent of Montana children and 14 percent of children in Missoula County do not know where their next meal will come from.

"We do have poverty in Seeley Lake that does cause childhood hunger. After the fire we are going to need a lot more help with hunger issues," said Ayers.

Ayers said she has talked a lot about the impacts of the fire in her classes and with her peers.

"The two biggest parts of our economy are the mill and tourism and we lost a big month of tourism," said Ayers.

Ayers is a part of a mentorship program at SLE where the eighth grade students work with younger students on a problem. The intent is through this experience, they will build a connection that goes beyond their project together.

"I thought if I [was chosen for the Council] I could mix the two," said Ayers who applied after receiving the application from her civics teacher Duane Schlabach. She thought it would be a great opportunity for other kids to learn about childhood hunger, help fight it in the community and learn about healthier food options.

Ayers was the first student from SLE to be chosen for the Council.

"Having a student from our school chosen to be part of a Youth Leadership Council organized by our Governor is something that we can all be proud of at SLE," wrote Schlabach in an email. "Hannah is a natural servant-leader and she shows this in many ways throughout the school on a daily basis."

During the leadership training, Ayers learned about volunteer recruitment, planning events, using social media and media to help promote and the process to plan for and set up an event. She appreciated the opportunity to meet students from other backgrounds and hear about the programs they are involved in at their schools.

"It was so cool. We hung out in the Governor's office. We sat around the table where the Montana Constitution was signed talking about this problem, had lunch with the governor, lieutenant governor and the first lady and it is just crazy that it actually happened," said Ayers.

"Hannah has such a positive can-do attitude that for her to be selected for this nomination is the exemplar for all students and how attitude really does create, or negate, opportunities," wrote Schlabach. "Hannah is a great role model for all students at SLE as she has a bright future ahead of her."

While Ayers has not decided what her project for Fight Childhood Hunger Week April 17-23 will be, she has a lot of ideas and will make sure the community can get involved.