Seniors Share Experiences as Members of Superintendent's Cadre

The students invited to serve as members of the Superintendent's Cadre learn some valuable lessons about leadership during their tenure. They learn both how to be a leader in the immediate sense, as representatives of the student body, and also – and perhaps most importantly – how to be a leader in their future careers and lives, as modeled by Superintendent Liz Kirby. This is especially true for the 14 members of the Class of 2025, the oldest and longest-serving members of Cadre and its de facto leaders. 

The Superintendent’s Cadre is a group of high school students from diverse backgrounds and all grade levels who meet with Ms. Kirby once a month to discuss issues impacting the student body and brainstorm ways to improve the high school experience. These young people give our district’s leader an inside view of how the administration’s policies and procedures affect students in their everyday lives, a perspective that would be nearly impossible for a superintendent to otherwise glean.

The fact that the person with the greatest authority in the district takes the time out of her busy schedule to actually listen to their opinions is not lost on these students. As Darrian Baker Jr, who will head to Kent State University to study Information Technology in the fall, said, “I learned that no matter what type of position of power you have in your community, you’re always able to lend an ear to see what people really think.” 

Joziah Wyley agreed. A 2025 graduate going to the University of Cincinnati where he’ll major in Sports Administration, Joziah said, “Superintendent Kirby did a good job showing us how to be leaders by giving us the chance to have our voices make real change.” And Sheridan Sweeney, who will study Neuroscience at Northeastern University, said, “It's really admirable that Ms. Kirby has invited so many voices onto Cadre. She knows that students have good ideas and suggestions that should be listened to.”

They have ideas and suggestions indeed. Many of this year’s meetings were centered on enhanced security measures and especially the implementation of metal detectors in the high school building. While higher-ups may have been focused on issues like cost, efficacy and increased staffing needs, the students were worried about one thing: being late to class.  

“We have so much metal in our bookbags, we sometimes lose track of everything that’s in there!” said Darrian, referring to the laptops, phones, car keys, chargers and other electronics that were setting off metal detectors when they were first implemented in November. Security would “have us scour through our bags,” said Darrian, “removing every piece of metal, and making us even later than we already were.” 

Cadre members were quick to bring the issue to Superintendent Kirby’s attention. When the district added airport scanners to quickly check student’s backpacks and personal items, the arrival process was dramatically improved. “We felt like we really had some power when it came to our own safety,” said Brandon Caesar, a member of the class of 2025 who had enough credits to graduate in January and enroll full-time at the University of West Virginia, where he’s studying Fashion Design & Merchandising and playing football. (It is a common practice for student-athletes to enroll early at Division 1, powerhouse football schools so they can begin training with their team while also tackling required courses in order to lighten their workload during the fall sports season.) 

Da’Myah Blade, who will major in Marketing at the University of Kentucky, said about correcting the metal detector issue, “Superintendent Kirby made us feel seen, heard, and cared for, ensuring our safety needs were being met.”

As for Kirby, she believes that Cadre members “provide essential input to district initiatives that affect the student experience.”

Students, especially Sheridan and fellow Cadre member Alexis Walton, who will be attending Hampton University to major in Criminal Justice on the Pre-Law track, were honored to help bring about an off-campus lunch policy to reward juniors and seniors with good attendance and good behavior. Sheridan suggested the idea as an 11th grader and worked with high school principal Dr. Brandon Towns to create a pilot program that spread this year to include more students.

“Many students don’t eat school lunches,” she explained, “but they’re also not packing lunches. Being able to leave campus means they actually eat, plus get a little break, a chance to wind down, especially when it’s nice outside. This is really important so they can come back and focus” for their afternoon classes.

Christopher Steele most appreciated the opportunity to visit and meet with the district’s elementary and middle school students and “help kids feel safe and welcome.” Already accepted into the National Guard, Christopher will head to Tri-C in the fall to earn his STNA license and study Pre-Law. “Superintendent Kirby listens to everyone and everyone’s opinions, no matter how big or how small. She shows us how to be a leader.”

Joziah spoke about being pushed out of his comfort zone when presenting the Superintendent's Cadre Report at a school board meeting. “That made me nervous but also built confidence. Honestly, Cadre helped me in all aspects of my life.”

Cadre serves another purpose too, bringing together students who might not otherwise ever meet, letting them “work together as a team,” according to Brandon. The students in Cadre hail from all corners of the district, some coming from private schools, some members of Tiger Nation since pre-school. Some have lived in the same house their entire lives, others have shuffled from one foster home to another. They’re members of the football, soccer, tennis, cheerleading, track and field, softball and lacrosse teams. They sing with the gospel choir and men’s barbershop, and are in the National Honor Society, Career Technical Education programs, MSAN, Image Makers, … the list goes on.

But once every month, they come together and sit down at a table to discuss the issues facing their friends, classmates, peers and even perfect strangers at the high school. And because of that, as Superintendent Kirby says, “Tiger Nation is a better place due to the commitment and advocacy of these students.” 

Darrian Baker was even more blunt about the value of Cadre: “Don’t ever get rid of this. Having a period to discuss the way things work in the building and how to improve upon them is brilliant.”

The Class of 2025 Superintendent’s Cadre members are:

Darrian Baker Jr.

Aniyah Bell

Da'Myah Blade

Dametriana Blade

Honest'ee Brown

Brandon Caesar 

Kayla Caffey

Ja'Don Orr

Kendall Roberts

Shaniya Smith

Christopher Steele

Sheridan Sweeney

Alexis Walton

Joziah Wyley