BISMARCK, N.D. (NDDPI) – 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 12^th 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 history of the program, 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, 4^th Grade, Kenmare Elementary School
Landon Pitner, 5^th Grade, South Prairie Elementary, Mino
Verona Wolf, 5^th Grade, Miller Elementary School, Bismarck
Logan Engelstad, 6^th Grade, Westside Elementary, West Fargo
Chase Jackson, 6^th Grade, Jamestown Middle School
Jaidyn Roder, 6^th Grade, Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg, Mayville
Carley Bullinger, 7^th Grade, Trinity Junior High, Dickinson
Emilie Hessinger, 7^th Grade, St. Mary’s Academy, Bismarck
Ella Franklin, 8^th Grade, Ben Franklin Middle School, Fargo
Chinmay Sree Gopi, 8^th Grade, Ben Franklin Middle School, Fargo
Alexandra Ketterer, 8^th Grade, Maple Valley High School, Tower City
Grace Arthaud, 9^th Grade, South Heart High School
Karady Evans, 9^th Grade, Scranton High School
Olivia Gartner, 9^th Grade, Hazen High School
Eli Zerr, 9^th Grade, Red River High School, Grand Forks
Inger Holdman, 10th Grade, Richland Junior-Senior High School, Colfax
Ann Muggli, 10^th Grade, Oakes High School, Oakes
Nora Severance, 10^th Grade, Northern Cass High School, Hunter
Griffin Terras, 10^th Grade, Horace High School
Hanson Du, 11^th Grade, Central High School, Grand Forks
Maci Iverson, 11^th Grade, Leeds High School
Will Nelson, 11^th Grade, Jamestown High School
Devin Wolf, 11^th Grade, Northern Cass High School, Hunter
Zoe Bundy, 12^th Grade, Davies High School, Fargo
Shayla Davis, 12^th Grade, Devils Lake High School

Arthaud, Bundy, Franklin, Jackson, Muggli, Pitner, Terras and Zerr have served on previous Cabinets. The new group includes 16 young women and nine young men.

“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.”