Our Future Looks Bright

By Newell Arnerich, Mayor of Danville, Resident for 35 years

Abrightfuture for Danville is dependent on engaged, knowledgeable citizens being willing to get involved in the role of the Town in our community. That bright future is very visible in future the current generation of high school students that we see, having incredible passion for improvement and change in building a stronger and more sustainable future. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with several high school students who asked to participant in an internship in local governance based on my role as Mayor/Councilmember in Danville. As it turns out, of the nearly dozens of interns I have worked with, all have been strong leaders in their own right. Recently one such intern, Sonia Sharma, turned out to be a shining star giving hope that the future is truly very bright.

Throughout the world, it’s commonly thought that all careers are not created equal. Earlier this year, a local teenager, Sonia Sharma (who started her internship when she was in the 8th grade), noticed a gap in her community through the significant difference in opportunities for those who want to go into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) compared to those who want to go into the arts and humanities. To address this, in May of last year, Sharma talked about creating opportunities for students interested in the arts and humanities by creating a program for local youth with interests in writing and public speaking. Out of this was born the idea of a Youth Poet Laureate to represent the Town and the greater youth community. Danville already has a Poet Laurette, Elaine Betts, but that position largely represents the adult community. Sharma helped draft a proposed ordinance for the Town Council to consider creating this new student position. After a few rewrites and review by the City Attorney, Ms. Sharma proposed the idea to the entire Council at a study session. The Council supported the idea and asked that the ordinance be brought forward to a future Town Council public meeting. Sharma’s selling point to the Council was that the Danville Youth Poet Laureate would get the opportunity to write poetry about the Town, for the Town, and present it at Town events, alongside the adult Poet Laureate. The program would provide an additional opportunity for teens who had interests in writing, such as herself, and for learning public speaking and general oratory skills. Ms. Sharma presented the final ordinance at the Town Council meeting and the Youth Poet Laureate ordinance was approved unanimously in May of 2022 establishing this position for Danville high students. The program not only offers writing and public speaking experience, but also offers mentorship from the Town’s current adult Poet Laureate. Ms. Sharma hopes that the program will continue to benefit Danville in years to come, and encourage local youth to further explore the world of literature. The Youth Poet Laureate is a two-year appointment by the Town Council for any high school student that resides within the Town of Danville limits.

All the while Sharma worked on developing the new position, she knew that she herself would not be eligible because she lived just outside the Town borders. Although she herself was unable to apply, she’s was very excited to see the first Youth Poet Laureate, Madeleine Roytfeld, a SRVHS student, selected as Danville’s first Student Poet Laureate. Ms. Roytfeld was selected from three candidates with each of the candidates writing a poem that could be presented at the 41st Annual Mayors Installation and Community Awards televised event last December. The Danville Council is immensely proud of the new Student Poet Laureate and for Sonia Sharma’s selfless efforts to give students a voice in her community. On behalf of Danville, thank you Sonia Sharma and congratulations to Madeleine Roytfeld!