Student Empowerment Through Community Service Highlighted at Conference

Orlando Florida, September 20, 2025

News Summary

A junior at Perry Central High School, Charlee Stewart, presented at the Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando, focusing on the significant role of community service in enhancing student engagement. Her talk highlighted practical benefits such as improved communication skills, increased learning opportunities, and mental health support. Charlee, motivated by personal experiences in community projects, aims to inspire her peers to participate in service initiatives and address student needs effectively.

Orlando, Florida — A 16-year-old student from Perry Central High School delivered a presentation at a national educators conference in Orlando, Florida, emphasizing the role of community service in student engagement and development.

Lead: Student speaker at national conference

Charlee Stewart is a 16-year-old junior at Perry Central High School. Stewart was selected to speak at the Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando, Florida. The presentation took place on June 28, with Stewart having traveled to Orlando on June 26, 2025, to attend the event. The audience for her talk was about 20 educators and students.

What the presentation covered

She was invited to speak by the organization and delivered a talk focused on empowering students through community service. The presentation aimed to engage students in the community and get them excited about learning. The talk outlined several practical benefits of community service for students, describing how service activities can broaden learning opportunities, build communication skills, strengthen work ethic, support mental and physical health, and increase visibility to colleges and employers.

Specific benefits highlighted

• Increased learning opportunities through hands-on and real-world experiences.
• Improved communication skills developed by working with diverse groups.
• Stronger work ethic gained from project planning and follow-through.
• Mental and physical health benefits tied to active, purposeful engagement.
• Increased visibility to colleges and employers through documented service and leadership roles.

Personal motivation and background

She attended a club called Educators Rising during the last school year. Stewart’s interest in community service and the presentation topic stemmed from a local project she helped create. Stewart’s interest in the topic stemmed from her experience creating a community cookbook for a local food bank. That project is cited as an example of hands-on work that combined community support with student-led organization.

Despite having social anxiety, Stewart wanted to challenge herself with this opportunity. Organizers noted the selection reflected a desire to include student voices on how schools and communities can partner to support learning and personal development.

Ongoing work and goals

She has a passion for helping others and hopes to inspire other students to engage with their communities. Stewart indicated plans to continue community work at her school. She plans to continue engaging in community service and is working on a fundraiser to reduce student lunch debt, a project she began planning last school year. That fundraiser is part of a broader effort to address student needs and to make service activities accessible and meaningful.

Stewart believes that Perry Central High School has a strong culture of community projects. Her stated goals include expanding student participation in similar initiatives and creating sustainable projects that combine learning objectives with community benefits. Her goals include getting more students involved in community initiatives.

Event details

• Travel date to Orlando: June 26, 2025.
• Presentation date: June 28, 2025.
• Audience size: about 20 educators and students.

Context

The conference where Stewart spoke is a national gathering that brings together students and educators who are part of the Educators Rising network. The event features student presentations and workshops designed to promote career readiness and education leadership. Stewart’s presentation joined other student-led sessions aimed at connecting classroom learning to community impact and career pathways.

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Additional Resources

• Dubois County Herald: Perry Central Student at Educational Event
• Wikipedia: Community Service
• Flanner Buchanan: Charles Hale Stewart Obituary
• Google Search: Educators Rising
• Orlando Sentinel: Mabel Clark Ellis Obituary

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