SHELBURNE — As the town’s Cultural Council prepares for its fall grant application period, it recently took the opportunity to survey students from Mohawk Trail Regional School to better learn about the needs of younger community members.

The results of the survey show a desire among middle and high school students for arts-related programs ranging from making art, art exhibits, musical events and films. The survey, said Cultural Council Co-Chair Owen Bragdon, will help members make decisions on the grant applications they will consider in October.

“It tells me that students are interested in these cultural events and there’s a lot that we can tap into,” said Bragdon, who is a paraprofessional at Mohawk Trail Regional School. “We’ve been really focused in the past couple of years on serving young people in the community.”

Forty-three students responded to the survey, which was distributed to them via their school emails. Art-making events were the top request, with nearly 56% of respondents declaring their interest in it. Art exhibits and theatrical performances followed closely behind with nearly 49% of respondents signaling their desire for more of those events. Additionally, Bragdon said the survey asked students how they learned about events, with a majority saying friends and family serve as their top sources of information.

When deciding on awarding a grant, the Cultural Council will take the results of the survey into account and may prioritize arts-related proposals. However, Bragdon noted not having an art component wouldn’t rule something out for a grant award.

“It won’t make or break anything on its own,” he said. “There’s certainly a number of applications we’re on the fence whether to fund it or not. For example, if there was something about art making that was part of one of the applications, we would be more likely to fund that.”

Bragdon thanked Mohawk Trail Principal Chris Buckland for helping facilitate the survey and Mo’s Fudge Factor for donating two free gift cards that were given to two randomly selected students.

To contact the Cultural Council to either volunteer or inquire about the application process, email shelburnelcc@gmail.com. For more information, visit the town’s website and or the Cultural Council’s Facebook page.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.