STRUTHERS — An annual event promises to provide an opportunity for several students to gain greater knowledge of government outside of the classroom and beyond the pages of a textbook.

“It’s all about building relationships,” Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller said after Wednesday’s regular city council meeting.

Cercone Miller was referring to today’s third annual Government Day, in which 12 Struthers High School juniors in Kevin Dailey’s government class will spend the school day gleaning better understanding of the workings of local government as well as business and industry via a series of tours and presentations.

Kicking things off for the students will be a panel of speakers: Ryan Rogalski, the city’s tax commissioner; state Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman; Zach Teter, project manager with MS Consultants Inc.; Girard Mayor Mark Zuppo; and Justin Rance, a representative with the Western Reserve Building Trades, the mayor said. She added that city council members also will attend.

After touring Youngstown city hall and various departments, Cercone Miller said, the group will meet Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell and police Chief Sharon Cole as new city police officers are sworn in.

In addition, the students will tour the Youngstown Business Incubator, along with the Mahoning County Courthouse.

After lunch, the group is scheduled to visit the Struthers Community River Launch site, which opened in 2022 along the Mahoning River. The project was the result of Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant money. While at the kayak launch, the students will hear a presentation from Bart Wilson of Youngstown-based Integra Excavating LLC.

The Government Day activities will conclude at Struthers city hall, where they will meet Judge James A. Melone of Struthers Municipal Court.

After the session, Cercone Miller said that the Dylan’s House organization is set to open a three-bedroom home May 1, with an open house gathering set for May 19.

Kevin and Amy Shope founded the organization in 2022 and named it in honor of their son, Dylan Shope, 25, who is on the autism spectrum and lives in his own home with a variety of caregivers and services. DH is dedicated to enriching and empowering those on the spectrum, supporting their caregivers and providing resources to allow those with autism to live full lives with dignity and confidence.

The home, on Judith Lane, likely will house three adults on the autism spectrum.