Students from Chandler, Prague selected
Two students in Lincoln County, one from Chandler, the other from Prague, have been named to the State School Superintendent’s 2022 Student Advisory Council.
Laryssa Nunn, a junior at Chandler High School and Leslie Clark, a senior at Prague High School, are among 74 students selected for this year’s Council.
This is the seventh year the group has been selected to assist State School Supt. Joy Hofmeister with Oklahoma Department of Education policy matters.
Nunn said the group will hold its first meeting virtually on Jan. 25.
When she was just checking emails one day during a study hall, she noticed she had received an e-mail informing her she had been selected to the Council, Nunn said, “I was incredibly excited. I immediately texted my mom to let her know.
“I had looked at last year’s selection and didn’t see anyone from around Chandler so I had questioned whether I’d be chosen or not.”
Laryssa is the 17-year-old daughter of Jennifer and Daniel Nunn.
Clark said when she learned of her selection to the Council, “I was extremely excited. I was overwhelmed with joy,” she added.
She’s the 18-year-old daughter of Tonya and Robert Clark.
She said she’s always attended Prague schools and carries a 4.0 GPA at Prague and a 3.9 GPA at Seminole State College in the concurrent courses she has taken there.
“I’ve taken 24 credit hours at SSC and will have right at 30 hours there when I graduate from Prague in May,” she noted.
Nunn said she carries a 4.0 GPA, noting, “I have all the way through high school so far and that’s the way I plan to keep it.”
In explaining the process she went through in order to be selected, Nunn said, “I had to have the application in by Nov. 1. It required including my GPA, the school I went to and a couple of issues I felt needed to be addressed by our state.
“I had to write on those issues. I chose the lack of resources for mental health in our schools and childhood hunger in our schools,” she stated.
She said she also needed a letter of nomination, which School Supt. Melody Toma gladly provided.
Clark said her high school principal Jennifer Smith brought the State Supt.’s Student Advisory Council to her attention. She went through the same process as Nunn.
“The application contained the basic questions, I had to tell what community service I had done and I needed and was provided the letter of recommendation from Prague School Supt. Kevin Engle and I had to write an essay talking about issues facing students today.”
She said the issues she chose were the way the state school system can be bettered and bringing to light the social issues students face every day.
Clark added, “I had to explain why I would be best for the Council and what impact I would be on the Council.”
She emphasized, “I’ve always wanted to make an impact with people.”
Nunn pointed to some of the activities she is involved with including, the high school choir, Business Professionals of America, she is Junior Class president, she’s in Postponing Sexual Involvement and, “I’ve taken two concurrent courses at Rose State College.
“I was a member of this year’s high school academic team,” she related.
“Last January I was selected to be the state’s Miss Greater Oklahoma Outstanding Teen and with that I was in the state competition last June.”
Nunn said upon her high school graduation she plans on attending Northeastern State University in Tahlequah majoring in Medical Laboratory Sciences. She also plans to attend medical school later on at OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation.
Clark pointed out, “I feel really privileged to be chosen for this honor and am excited to see where this opportunity takes me.”
Among her activities are band manager and 2021 drum major, (2018-2021) softball, captain of speech and debate; President BPA, Student council representative, book club, Vice president (2020) president (2021), (2018) Cheer Team, (2020-2022) National Honor Society, (2021) Prom committee, and Year Book (2021).
“After graduation, I plan to attend Seminole State College and earn an Associate in Business. I will finish at SSC in January of 2023,” Clark added, “and then take a semester off to determine what I want to do from there.”