City Council Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator Martig
From: Michelle Mahowald, Communications & Human Resources Director
Title
Recognition of service for our graduating Northfield High School Seniors and youth coming off Boards and Commissions.
Body
Action Requested:
Mayor Zweifel and President Pro Tem Sokup will present certificates to graduating Youth on Board seniors, and those choosing not to continue with the program, in recognition of their service on boards and commissions. After the presentation, City Council members and students will pose for a photo in front of the dais.
Summary Report:
The Mayor's Youth Council was formed in 2006. At that time, the community was just beginning to have conversations around how to ensure youth voice in civic affairs. The City Council took the initiative to form an Advisory Council that was made up entirely of youth. At that time, the Council was made up of 13 to 15 high school students. That model stayed in place until the spring of 2015 when the City again decided to take a leading role in giving youth a voice in the community and led the expansion of the program.
The desire to give youth a voice is grounded in the belief that youth play a critical role in the vitality of our community and that by allowing them to take part in public debate they help shape the world in which they would want to live and raise their families in. It is an investment in both the present and the future of the community.
Healthy Community Initiatives (HCI) is the "backbone" of the program. HCI has a dedicated staff member that is responsible for acting as the touch point for all youth serving on these various boards, as well as the adults that are working with them. HCI coordinates the application process, the meetings, and the youth reflection on the value and benefit of the program.
The following Northfield High School students will be recognized for their service on boards and commissions:
Graduating seniors on City Boards & Commissions:
Name Board
Claire Casson Planning Commission
Jael Conde Environmental Quality Commission
Andy Elliot Economic Development Authority
Will Flannery Library Board
Anna Forbord Historical Preservation Commission
Rihanna Gonzalez Sandova Human Rights Commission
Aki Gupta Mayor’s Youth Council
Maria Hegland Housing Redevelopment Authority
Makena Malecha Economic Development Authority
Noa Marohl Mayor’s Youth Council
Cameron McMillan Heritage Preservation Commission
Cameron Melnychuk Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention
Hannah Pape Human Rights Commission
Shelby Patterson Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention
Rebeca Perez Mayor’s Youth Council
Danica Sorem Mayor’s Youth Council
Alec Vatter Human Rights Commission
Ana Zamora Rosas Mayor’s Youth Council
Underclassman not continuing in the program on City Boards & Commissions
Name Board
Estella Freeman Mayor’s Youth Council
Victoria Hemmah Arts and Culture Commission
Hollis Holden Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Kaia Markofski Arts and Culture Commission
Ben Parish Human Rights Commission
Graduating seniors on non-city Boards & Commissions:
Name Board
Dalilah Agapito Community Education Advisory Council
Saul Alfaro Alvarez Healthy Community Initiative Board of Directors
Ben Berglund Clean River Partners Board of Directors
Caroline Brice Clean River Partners Board of Directors
Corrie Demas Northfield Shares Board of Directors
Lauren Hafemeyer Northfield Arts Guild Board of Directors
Audrey Hinman Friends of Downtown Northfield Board of Directors
Merri Kmoch Northfield Shares, Board of Directors
Lola McCarty Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library Board of Directors
Edy McLaughlin Northfield YMCA Board of Directors
Sofia Nystuen Northfield Historical Society Board of Directors
Avari Parker Northfield Youth Choirs Board of Directors
Mackenzie Perkins League of Women Voters Board of Directors
CJ Riehle Merrill Community Education Advisory Council
Elizabeth Tracy Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Board of Directors
Underclassman not continuing in the program on non-city Boards & Commissions
Name Board
Max Boardman Friends of Downtown Northfield Board of Directors
Chasity Hicks Northfield Youth Choirs Board of Directors