At the most recent township meeting, the East Nottingham Township Board of Supervisors welcomed Katherine Hanna and Samantha Dunlap as the new junior supervisors. Dunlap and Hanna, who are both rising seniors at Oxford Area High School, will now serve in those roles for one year.

The township has usually had just one person serve as a junior supervisor each year since the program started in 2018. But Kelli Karlton, the township secretary for East Nottingham, said that the Board of Supervisors found it impossible to select between Dunlap and Hanna since they both offered such strong credentials and interviewed so well during the selection process. The decision was made to have Hanna and Dunlap both serve for a year. They will take turns attending the meetings, Karlton said.

Both students expressed their enthusiasm for taking on the duties of junior supervisor in the township. They are both longtime residents of East Nottingham, and Dunlap said that they both share a passion for wanting to help beautify the township and to take part in activities that will help clean up the environment.

Hanna and Dunlap are both leaders in their school and they participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities.

Hanna participates in a dual enrollment program with Cecil College and will earn an associate's degree by the time she earns her high school diploma in the spring of 2022. She is a drum major in the marching band, and is also a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the Science Club, and National Honore Society at Oxford.

Hanna qualified as a Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society Division 1 vice president semifinalist and ambassador. She is also an Alpha Alpha Theta Honor Society member. Hanna discovered that she really likes public speaking, and that has helped her immensely when she seeks leadership positions in various activities. 

She has worked with the school's Interact Club and Rotary Club to take part in roadside cleanups in the community, and she also reached out to the Oxford Rotary Club to discuss needs in the community. Now, she's working with the Oxford Public Library to form a new volunteer-based organization that will help the schools and communities do better with its litter and trash clean-up efforts.

Dunlap has served as the student council vice president and class treasurer. She is involved in cheerleading, diving, and the Girl Scouts. She works on the yearbook and is a member of the National honor Society, the National English Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, and the Future Business Leaders of America. During the 2019-2020 school year, she reached nationals in the FBLA competition.

Dunlap said that giving back to the community is very important to her, and she has worked on numerous projects during her 12 years with Girl Scouts.

“I have developed a real passion for helping others, especially in my community,” Dunlap said.

Karlton said that the township is very fortunate to have not one, but two students who are so well qualified to serve as junior supervisors.

The program is open to all juniors and seniors who reside in East Nottingham Township, regardless of where they attend school. The next application process will be in May of 2022.  

Karlton said that township officials would love to have even more applicants so that more students could gain from being involved. 

As non-voting junior supervisors, Dunlap and Hanna will attend public township meetings that the supervisors are involved in. They can participate in discussions and will make regular reports to township officials about current events and concerns, especially as they relate to young people in the community. They can also share information about any township activities that are of interest with her peers.