Senator Metzger Announces Members of her Student Advisory Council, Convenes First Meeting

Hudson Valley and Catskills, NY...Senator Jen Metzger (SD-42) convened the first meeting of her 23-member Student Advisory Council this past week. The Council members attend high schools across Senator Metzger’s district, which includes Sullivan County and parts of Orange, Ulster, and Delaware Counties, and were selected in part for their demonstrated commitment to the betterment of their communities.

Senator Metzger’s Student Advisory Council will provide input on legislative initiatives and work closely with the Senator and her staff to tackle youth-specific issues and concerns in their communities. Students will learn directly from the Senator about how the State legislative process works and the priorities of the current legislative session. 

At the first meeting, the committee delved into the topic of climate change, which was a topic that most of the students listed among their top issues during the application process, and one that has been a top priority of the Senator's. Senator Metzger invited guest speakers Jeremy Cherson from Riverkeeper and Tim Guinee from the Climate Reality Project to address the Advisory Council, and the students then discussed the approaches they thought would be most effective to reduce the severity of climate change, including actions that could be taken at state and local levels.  

"We got right down to business in our first meeting of my Student Advisory Council to discuss the challenge of climate change and how we should tackle it," said Senator Jen Metzger. "Their generation will be deeply affected by the actions that government takes, and I feel very fortunate to work with such a bright, engaged group of students, and get their perspectives on this important issue."

A full list of high schools attended by members of Senator Metzger’s Student Advisory Council is below, and student names are available upon request. 

• Fallsburg Junior-Senior High School
• Goshen Central High School
• Highland High School
• Kingston High School
• Liberty High School 
• New Paltz High School
• Pine Bush High School
• Port Jervis High School
• Rondout Valley High School in Accord
• S.S. Seward Institute in Florida
• Sullivan West High School in Lake Huntington
• Tri-Valley Secondary School in Grahamsville

Jen Metzger represents the 42nd Senate District, which includes all of Sullivan County and parts of Delaware, Orange, and Ulster Counties. Senator Metzger serves as Chair of the Agriculture Committee and sits on the Environmental Conservation, Education, Health, Energy and Telecommunications, Local Government, Women’s Issues, Domestic Animal Welfare, and Legislative Commission on Rural Resources Committees. 

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