High school students Addison Weed and Elsie Ries have noticed that our school could reap the benefits of greater diversification and inclusive dialogue. They told their story as part of the Voices of Youth project.

This article is part of Rapid Growth's Voices of Youth series, which features content created by Kent County youth in partnership with Rapid Growth staff mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth. In this installment, Annette G. Vazquez and Vanely Bastardo Guzman examine Grand Rapids’ increasing gun violence.