Lafayette, Oxford and Water Valley high school students were announced as part of the State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, which was announced by the Mississippi Department of Education earlier this week.

Out of 300 students across Mississippi who applied for membership on the council, 163 were selected. Eight of those students selected came from Lafayette, Oxford and Water Valley.

The 163 new members will join the more than 70 students who were selected to the council in 2019.

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with such smart, insightful students last year, and I’m looking forward to hearing from our new members on issues of importance to them,” said State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright. “The public-school students of our state are our clients, and we need to ensure that we provide them with the opportunities they need to be successful. The council also allows students, who wouldn’t normally have the chance to interact, to talk with peers in different areas of our state.”

Lafayette High School’s Stephanie Kellum and Anna Lafferty were selected to represent Lafayette County School District on the council.

Oxford High School had five students selected to the council. Those students are Thomas Archer, Hattie Busby, Avery Langley, Beckham McCord and Celie Rayburn.

Water Valley High School’s Clayton Hale was also selected.

The council’s purpose is to provide a forum for Mississippi’s students to offer diverse perspectives to Wright. The selected students will act as liaisons between the MDE and public school students from across the state.

Council meetings are held twice during the school year. One during the fall semester and one during the spring semester.