Kudos to the four Virginia Beach high school students who have been appointed to represent student council members across the Commonwealth as members of the Virginia Student Councils Association (VSCA) Student Advisory Committee. Summer Holland, Ashley Leidy, Kaiila McEntee, and Tyriq Nady, all of Landstown High School: Governor’s STEM & Technology Academy, were appointed to represent student leaders in the Commonwealth’s more than 300 high schools.

Involvement in the VSCA Advisory Committee allows students to take an active role in guiding student leadership across the state. These student leaders are instrumental in planning the state convention and leadership workshops.

This recognition of student leadership programs comes on the heels of a standout spring for Landstown. It was one of the 184 high school student councils (out of more than 28,000 high schools nationwide) to receive the coveted National Gold Council of Excellence Award from the National Association of Student Councils (NASC). Virginia Beach’s Ocean Lakes High School, Salem High School and Tallwood High School also earned this prestigious honor.

The VSCA, an arm of the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals (VASSP), is the oldest student leadership organization in the nation, established in 1905. This leadership learning organization for student leaders from private and public schools, provides learning experiences in leadership and opportunities to practice the citizenship skills necessary for effective participation in our democratic society. VSCA encourages the formation, development, and expansion of student councils in all schools (K-12) in Virginia.