WILMINGTON — Eighteen current high school leaders — who are future community leaders — were honored at the 2020 Clinton County Leadership Institute’s Leadership Clinton Youth Collaborative Graduation Celebration and Report to the Community. It was held Tuesday evening at the Presbyterian Church of Wilmington on Timber Glen Drive.
The LCYC Class of 2020 graduates represent five high schools — Blanchester, Clinton-Massie, East Clinton, Wilmington, and Laurel Oaks Career Campus.
Each of the groups presented to the audience of family members and past Leadership Clinton graduates its Report to the Community detailing public service/fundraising projects that each group completed.
The LCYC 2020 graduates are:
• Blanchester — William Conover, Regan Grogg, William Knapp and Lana Roy; advisor is Bess Long.
Team project: Holding a jeans week and raising money to go toward a new curtain and light board for the school’s drama department.
• Clinton-Massie — Ethan Amstutz, Leah Burton, Logan Florea and Jenna Norman; advisor is Meagan Morabito.
Team project: Raising funds to purchase items for sensory bags to be used for traumatized children encountered by the Wilmington Fire Department and Clinton-Warren Joint Fire District.
• East Clinton — Holly Bernard, Gracie Boggs and Marci Ellis; advisor is Steve Wages.
Team project: Hosted a book drive and collected donations for books, and the members read books to first-grade and kindergarten students.
• Wilmington — Collin Barker, Lillian Middleton, Courtney Parker and Logan Salatin; advisor is Tyler Williams.
Team project: Each volunteered for various community and school projects and they worked to better organize the clothes closet and make it more accessible for underprivileged adults.
• Laurel Oaks — Shilie Cohmer, Madison Fields and Teresa Leon; advisors are Allison Gates and Janelle Running.
Team project: Raised funds and held de-stress events for students, then donated the money raised to the United Way of Clinton County.
Local attorney Bexlie Beam, a member of the Leadership Clinton 2020 adult class, was keynote speaker. Beam is a Wilmington High School alum as well as graduate of Western Kentucky University and a 2017 graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law.
Beam congratulated the Class of 2020 youths and shared some of her own experiences and milestones, adding that, as part of her Leadership Clinton class, she has “learned lessons and context that I utilize today.”
Clinton County Leadership Institute Board President Josh Martin welcomed attendees to the event. Current LC Class of 2020 member Jeff Rollins led the Pledge of Allegiance and LC’s Terry Habermehl gave the invocation, followed by LC’s Cathy Koerner giving an overview of the year.
The mission of CCLI’s LCYC program is “to create awareness of the opportunities and challenging issues facing Clinton County and the need for all citizens to become involved with a focus on reaching our youth leaders.”
