One idea from each school is moving on to a May Changemaker Summit, where teams are guaranteed at least $500 to see their ideas come to fruition with the help of a community partner.

The Changemaker Summit will take place May 16 at 11 a.m. at 10 N. Main St.

Here are the ideas that are moving forward and will be funded, along with the students who participated in each project:

  • STEM Middle School, Clean to Win, app promoting cleanup at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Thoimon Rajmon, Leah Robitaille, Anthony Cucuzza, Kenneth Sidoti, Seth Volkert
  • Hyre CLC, From the Eyes of the Bullied, book project: Rebecca Barker, Dezaraee Inman, Carmen Huston, Joseph Golden, Mar’rihanna Stewart, Antonique Wilson
  • Miller South School, Grandparent Friends, matching young volunteers to residents of senior care facilities who share their interests: Chloe’ Sommerville, Estella Flynn, Bella Smith, Brooklyn Jones
  • I Promise School, Cops on the Court, building better relationships with police officers: Francine Bwija, Aaron Hershey, Raegan Johnson, Scout McConnell, Christan Nurse, Eyric Odom, King Rollin, Amaris Scott, D’Amore Scott
  • East CLC, Beautification Club, encouraging cleaning and beautifying the school: Annica Humphrey, Bianca Shields, Mae’Mijah Rackley, Kayci Combs, Emily Bell, Anastasiya Bentley
  • Litchfield CLC, Fresh Era, making toiletry bags available for students: Jonathon Ketchens, Kayla Henderson, Peyton White, Evan Brown, Vivian Rangel-Rojas, Jada Rodgers
  • Buchtel CLC, Defense Against the Elements, loaning tents to the homeless: Michael Bell, Carter Wilson, Nevaeh Garrett
  • Innes CLC, Revive Prentiss Park, cleaning up the park and making it more useful: Stephawn Bradley-Muhammad, Kar’lya Delaney, Brice Bronner, Jayd Foxworth, Ahnyis Billingsley, Giovonni Bolden, Khyre’anna Louie, Lavynder Richardson, Gage White, Makayla Bittner
  • Jennings CLC, We Care, providing support to people aging out of foster care: Alex McKee

    Source: TomTod Ideas
Innes Community Learning Center eighth graders.
Innes Community Learning Center eighth graders smile after wrapping up their “Revive Prentiss Park” Changemaker Challenge proposal Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

Education Reporter (she/her)
Arielle is a Northeast Ohio native with more than 20 years of reporting experience in Cleveland, Atlanta and Detroit. As Signal Akron’s education reporter, she aims to serve as a community watchdog, highlight innovative work in the Akron Public Schools, and tell stories about the area’s public, private and charter schools that help inform residents’ understanding of the critical work educators are doing. She will also cover higher education, writing about the University of Akron and its role in the community. Arielle values diverse voices in her reporting and seeks to write about under-covered issues and groups in the schools.