Heard in Rye, which has been hosting parent education events in town for the last 25 years, is adding something new this year: teen perspective.
Later this month, the newly formed Heard in Rye Junior Board will be hosting its first event, on the topic of “College: What Your Teen Wants you to Hear.”
Kelly Mulderry, a parent representative on Heard in Rye since 2013, came up with the idea for the Junior Board and shared it with the committee in 2023.
“I had a sophomore and a junior at the time. We were having important conversations, and my kids know I am part of Heard in Rye,” Mulderry said. “Heard in Rye is always coming from the parents’ perspective to find speakers. What if teens had the ability and the responsibility to find speakers that spoke from their perspective? That could be powerful for the community.”
She approached the Heard in Rye board, and received unanimous support for the idea.
“Heard in Rye’s mission is to bring parents together,” said Heard in Rye Co-chair Ann McNeel. “We wouldn’t be parents if it wasn’t for our children. So, what do they want us to know? Are there conversations that are difficult for them to bring up with their parents, and we could shine a light on those topics and open the door for conversations between a parent and a child that may not happen without us facilitating it?”
Student response to the idea was enthusiastic, said Mulderry, who facilitates the Junior Board’s monthly meetings. The Junior Board is made up of two representatives from each participating high school — Rye High, Rye Neck, Blind Brook, School of the Holy Child, and Rye Country Day School. The group meets at the Rye Free Reading and is one of the few groups in town that brings students from different schools together.
The students, who applied to be on the Junior Board in fall of their junior year, will serve from last December of their junior year to November of their senior year. Their duties include planning a student-driven event; they began by brainstorming topics important to teens, researching possible speakers, and then selecting a speaker and organizing the event.
“The conversations shouldn’t happen only at home,” said Rye High School senior Leyla Rizvi, a Junior Board member. “By attending these events, parents gain a knowledge of other students as well, and they are hearing more than just what their child says, so it builds community. As a student who is passionate about my community, I enjoy serving on the Heard in Rye Junior Board. I think it is really important.”
The Junior Board helps to close the gap between parents and teens, said Andrea Kamandar, a Rye High School senior and Junior Board member.
“We’ve always had the Heard in Rye calendar on the fridge, and I knew it as this thing where parents go to learn how to parent better. But when I talk to a lot of adults, they don’t always have a great understanding of what is important to high schoolers and I think it is a great idea to have that input.”
The first annual Junior Board event on college is set for Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Rye High School Performing Arts Center. The discussion aims to help parents understand how they can support their child in the process while also detailing things that may cause additional stress and tension. The goal of incorporating student voices into the event is to help parents see the college process through the eyes of their teens.
The evening includes a panel discussion of current high school seniors, parents of college students, and school counselors. The Junior Board invited Kent Rinehart, dean of admissions at Marist College, to share his ideas on a student-centered college process.
Applications for the Junior Board are currently open on the Heard in Rye website www.heardinrye.org along with information on the Junior Board event and other events this school year.