Shown at the October KYLA meeting, in front, from left, are Brianna Nolin, at-large board member, Triton Junior-Senior High School; Morgan Keirn, Whitko High School; Quinn Downing, Triton Junior-Senior High School; Hannah Haines, Wawasee High School; Hannah Brower, Tippecanoe Valley High School; In back are: John Kuhn, at-large board member, Warsaw Community High School; Hunter Haines, Warsaw Community High School; Brad Jackson, Kosciusko County Commissioner; Brynn Durecki, Warsaw Community High School; Ryan Mishler, State Senator District 9. (Photo provided)

By CINDY KLUSMAN
Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy Board Member

WARSAW — The Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy held its Oct. 7 meeting at the Warsaw Police Station. KYLA Moderator Tony Ciriello opened the meeting by welcoming the students and spoke briefly about the requirements for their Project Proud.

Each year, two students from the prior KYLA class are chosen to be an at-large member on the KYLA board. This year, Seniors Brianna Nolin from Triton Junior – Senior High School and John Kuhn from Warsaw Community High School are the students serving in this role. To help the current class understand more about Project Proud, both Nolin and Kuhn presented their projects from last year and answered any questions the students had.

Ciriello then lead a discussion about leadership. Summarizing the main aspects of what makes a good leader and providing traits associated with leadership failure, Ciriello encouraged the students to develop their own leadership style.

Kosciusko County Commissioner Brad Jackson described the decisions made by him and the other county commissioners. One of the biggest projects completed during his service has been the completion of the Justice Building which increased the capacity of the jail to 302. Jackson said our community is very fortunate the relationship between the city of Warsaw and the county is very strong, making it possible to combine efforts, resulting in financial savings. The example he gave was the counties 911 service.

Ryan Mishler, District 9 State Senator, informed the cadets about the workings of the state government. The students learned how bills are passed, the schedule of a state legislator, and the content of Indiana’s budget. Since Mishler is the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, the majority of his time is spent working on Indiana’s biennial budget. Mishler, like Jackson, said we are fortunate that our city, county and state governments work together to help save money and make the community a great place to live.

The next meeting will be at Chore-Time Brock in Milford on Nov. 4 where the students will learn about Agri-Business in Kosciusko County.

KYLA exists to provide a positive environment where aspiring high school aged youth can learn the basics of leadership and become informed, capable leaders that assume active roles in the growth of our community. For more information about KYLA, go to www.kosciuskoyouthleadership.org.