BISMARCK, N.D., July 26, 2022 – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler on Tuesday named her new Superintendent’s Student Cabinet, a 25-member group that will advise her about ways to strengthen North Dakota’s K-12 education system.
The Cabinet includes students ranging in age from the fourth to the 12th grades, representing large and small schools in all corners of North Dakota. Eight of the 25 members have served on previous Cabinets. It is the fifth Cabinet in the program's history, and the largest since Baesler began the initiative in 2015.
The Cabinet’s members will serve for 22 months, beginning Aug. 1, 2022, and ending in June 2024. The group will meet with Baesler every three months at the North Dakota Capitol. Its first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 16.
“Since the Superintendent’s Student Cabinet program began, its members have provided me a great deal of valuable advice and opinions, and helped to shape public education policy,” Baesler said. “They have helped build my understanding of what our students need, and to learn what is going well in our schools and what can be improved.”
The members of the new Cabinet are:
Bianca Sagness, 4th Grade, Kenmare Elementary School
Landon Pitner, 5th Grade, South Prairie Elementary, Minot
Verona Wolf, 5th Grade, Miller Elementary School, Bismarck
Logan Engelstad, 6th Grade, Westside Elementary, West Fargo
Chase Jackson, 6th Grade, Jamestown Middle School
Jaidyn Roder, 6th Grade, Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg, Mayville
Carley Bullinger, 7th Grade, Trinity Junior High, Dickinson
Emilie Hessinger, 7th Grade, St. Mary’s Academy, Bismarck
Ella Franklin, 8th Grade, Ben Franklin Middle School, Fargo
Chinmay Sree Gopi, 8th Grade, Ben Franklin Middle School, Fargo
Alexandra Ketterer, 8th Grade, Maple Valley High School, Tower City
Grace Arthaud, 9th Grade, South Heart High School
Karady Evans, 9th Grade, Scranton High School
Olivia Gartner, 9th Grade, Hazen High School
Eli Zerr, 9th Grade, Red River High School, Grand Forks
Inger Holdman, 10th Grade, Richland Junior-Senior High School, Colfax
Ann Muggli, 10th Grade, Oakes High School, Oakes
Nora Severance, 10th Grade, Northern Cass High School, Hunter
Griffin Terras, 10th Grade, Horace High School
Hanson Du, 11th Grade, Central High School, Grand Forks
Maci Iverson, 11th Grade, Leeds High School
Will Nelson, 11th Grade, Jamestown High School
Devin Wolf, 11th Grade, Northern Cass High School, Hunter
Zoe Bundy, 12th Grade, Davies High School, Fargo
Shayla Davis, 12th Grade, Devils Lake High School
Arthaud, Bundy, Franklin, Jackson, Muggli, Pitner, Terras, and Zerr have served on previous Cabinets.
“Aside from being able to influence public policy in North Dakota, students who serve in the Cabinet also have an opportunity to develop their skills in leadership, public speaking, decision-making, and team building,” Baesler said. “They have a chance to become our next generation of leaders.”