Moorhead High School students invited to engage in discussions with city leaders

1 hour ago

Juliana Pelaez,

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — “I really wanted to demonstrate that collaboration that coordination that happens between all of the departments within the city of Moorhead. And also within our neighbors in Dilworth, Fargo, and other places. You know we’re not just an island, we are connected and working together all across the metro,” said Shelly Carlson, Mayor of Moorhead.

Moorhead High School students in the Civic Leadership class, wrote letters to local, state, and national elected officials. As part of their work toward the Minnesota Civic Seal, students were tasked to move beyond the classroom and engage directly with leaders. And on Friday, Carlson invited students to answer questions and hear from city department heads about their work.

“We’re fortunate that Mayor Shelly is, she’s a fantastic supporter of all things Moorhead, all things Moorhead High School. And so we got this idea together to let’s engage the kids. Let’s put them in the process and show them how it actually works when you write a letter about potholes or public safety,” said Chad Olson, Mayor of Dilworth and Teacher at Moorhead High School.

Students asked various questions about homelessness, snow removal, and questions regarding how police work on the job.

“To have Paul Fiechtner from Public Works, to have the chief here from the police department, and give real-life examples in how this works, it’s invaluable because they’re understanding outside of textbooks on how we function and how we contribute to society,” said Olson.

While it was a surprise for Carlson to receive letters from a whole class, she says this was a great opportunity to talk about what makes Moorhead great.

“There’s 300 full-time staff that work tirelessly every single day to make sure that our community is a safe community, it’s a healthy community, it’s a thriving community… And when people can have that insight to all the work that goes behind the scenes, I think that is just a great benefit to everybody,” said Carlson.