On Friday, Feb. 28, students Summer Lillie and Xavier Johnson attended the Long Island Regional Student Forum at Western Suffolk BOCES in Wheatley Heights. The event brought together students from schools across Nassau and Suffolk counties.  

The participants were placed in groups with students from other districts and discussed important topics affecting students today, such as mental health, academic pressures, the ways students learn and school environments. The students shared what their schools were doing well and what could be improved, then presented their discussions to the audience. At the end of the forum, students shared their insights with the group, which will be passed along to administrators of the respective districts as well as New York State, which gives students the opportunity for their voices to be heard.