2026 Student Voice Summit Slated for Thursday, May 21 at Saltonstall School
Annual showcase enables grades 4-12 scholars to present research-based school and community activism projects and solutions
SALEM (May 8, 2026) – The 2026 Salem Public Schools Student Voice Summit, an annual event combining student advocacy with artistic expression, is scheduled for Thursday, May 21 (5-7 p.m.) at the Saltonstall School Auditorium.
The Student Voice Summit, which empowers students to present research-based activism projects focused on addressing social and educational inequities, will be emceed by Collins Middle School scholars Chris Barrientos, an eighth grader; Dyana Polanco, a seventh grader, and Angely Ventura, a sixth grader.
Students from nine of the Salem Public Schools will present their ‘student change’ projects and offer solutions to challenges they observe within their schools and/or community. Following their presentations, each school will have a display table for families and attendees to discuss their issues further.
The event will also include dance performances from Witchcraft Heights Elementary School and Horace Mann Laboratory School 21C (afterschool) programs, as well as music provided by DJ T-Real.
SPS Food and Nutrition Services will provide a unique French Fry Bar for those in attendance.
Born out of the partnership with The Equity Imperative, the Student Voice Summit showcases students in grades 4–12 presenting research-based activism projects centered on a school or community inequity challenge, as well as a set of action steps. The Summit highlights and empowers SPS students as storytellers, organizers, and advocates, and offers a platform for them to share student-driven solutions to address educational inequity.
The Student Voice Summit captures the District’s core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity through all forms of art – performance, traditional, poetry, video, photography, ceramics and crochet – and will be on display before and after the Summit.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.
