GREENFIELD — Roughly 40 Greenfield High School students convened in the building’s library Thursday to talk with policymakers about the issues important to them.

The YELO (Youth Engage with Legislators and Officials) forum fostered roundtable discussions on substance abuse, homelessness, school supports and Greenfield’s economic development. Teachers coordinated with the DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps program to facilitate the event, complete with pizza, drinks and snacks.

“It’s mainly to get people listening to student voices, you know? Teenagers have opinions, believe it or not,” history teacher Luke Martin said with a laugh, “and we think that politicians and officials should listen to teenagers and know what they think about the communities they’ll be inheriting. And … for my purposes as a teacher, I like that students get to see and meet these officials who are just normal people and they have stepped up to sort of serve a role and help their community.

“And I think it’s good for the students to see that that’s a … real possibility, for them to step up and do such a thing,” Martin continued.

Guests included state Reps. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, and Susannah Whipps, I-Athol; Greenfield School Committee members Stacey Sexton and Elizabeth Deneeve; Rachel Stoler of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments; Elena Cohen and Mike Fiscella of state Sen. Jo Comerford’s office; and Quinn Mass, a 16-year-old Greenfield High School student who is part of the city’s Human Rights Commission. Students Izzy Semonelli, Kanza Boot and April Rooney-Adams emceed the event.

During the rotating introductory sessions, Blais and Whipps explained to students how their legislative districts are drawn and how much time they spend in Boston. Because representation is based on population, Whipps said, she and Blais belong to districts that span dozens of communities, whereas some officials representing parts of eastern Massachusetts “can walk the perimeter of their districts.”

Both local representatives said they prefer to spend most of their time in their district, closer to their constituents, and go to the state capital if the Legislature is in session or if there is a committee hearing. Blais said state lawmakers don’t find out until Friday afternoon what the following week’s schedule looks like.

During the roundtable discussions, Rooney-Adams told Whipps and Cohen that she is concerned about road maintenance in Greenfield. She said a two-hour school delay is often not enough during heavy snowfall, and she and her mother were nearly involved in a crash earlier that day.

“It’s so unsafe,” Rooney-Adams said, telling Whipps more needs to be done to pre-treat roadways.

Whipps said she shares Rooney-Adams’ frustration, but that road maintenance is often the responsibility of a local municipality, not the state. She recommended Rooney-Adams write a letter to new Greenfield Mayor Ginny Desorgher to express her concerns. Whipps said she is hesitant to tell mayors how to handle their departments of public works because “I like to stay in my own lane.” But, she said, she fights vigorously for Chapter 90 money, which municipalities use for improvements to and investments in local transportation networks.

In another discussion related to transportation, students spoke with Sexton and Deneeve about the critical need for new or repaired buses. They also expressed the feeling that the school’s sports teams seem to take priority over School Council or other clubs and organizations.

Blais spoke with students about substance abuse and homelessness. The students told her that their peers regularly go to the school’s restrooms to vape and smoke, and they see their classmates getting addicted. They also said the abundance of dispensaries in the area is likely not helping the situation.

Before the event ended, all participants formed a circle to mention something they had learned in the past two hours. Many students said they were surprised to find out how easy it is to contact their state representatives. Rebecca Zimmerman, an eighth grade civics teacher, told everyone that events like this are important because change is impossible without communication. Student Malachi Gray said the conversations restored his faith that there might be “a kernel of truth left in the American dream.”

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.