CINCINNATI — Six students have been elected to represent the student voice in the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and International Thespian Society (ITS) as International Thespian Officers (ITO) for the 2020-21 school year.
Those students include Spencer Angell of Salina High School Central.
These officers work year-round with EdTA staff, chapter leaders, and Thespians from across the globe to nurture strong student leaders, advocate for the arts, fundraise for accessibility, and create the best experience possible for students.
ITO are elected by their peers who are members of the new International Thespian Student Leadership Council (ITSLC), made up of delegates (state/provincial Thespian officers) from each chapter of ITS.
Both the ITSLC and ITO are part of the student leadership program of ITS, offering training and experience at the local, chapter, and national levels.
The students who served as ITO in 2019-20 focused on two activities that enhanced the organization’s diversity and inclusivity. They laid the groundwork for the ITSLC to expand leadership opportunities at the state level, and they initiated what became the Send A Leader Diversity grant, awarded to student Thespians traditionally underrepresented in student leadership and who have experience in diversity-based leadership, service, and social justice activities.. The incoming ITO intend to continue that work.
The International Thespian Society, which was established in 1929, has 2.4 million members and is the honor society for middle and high school drama students. A Thespian troupe is a group of students who have earned induction into the honor society. ITS is a program of the Educational Theatre Association.