TOWAMENCIN – When thinking of candidates running for a school board election, one wouldn’t expect to hear of a senior in high school amongst the group. However, eighteen-year-old Oscar Armas-Luy proves that running for a position on North Penn School District’s School Board is not only legal, but also extremely beneficial.

Armas-Luy explained that he’s running for School Director, as it will fulfill his desire to make a difference in the district by obtaining involvement in making an impact on the quality of education and student life. His immense passion for education and drive to make a difference has motivated him to run for the position.

“I’ve always been interested in making a difference in the community, so I figured why not now? There’s really nothing holding me back,” explained Armas-Luy. “I have something to bring to the table, so I thought now is as good a time as any.”

Armas-Luy explained that in order to apply to run for the position, he needed to obtain a nominating petition consisting of ten qualifying elector signatures. He also filed as an independent, meaning that he isn’t affiliated with either political party. In the upcoming November election, five seats are up for election on the nine-person board. Current board members Joe Sullivan, John Schilling, Carolyn Murphy, Suzan Leonard, and Cory Brown see their terms expire in 2015.

Additionally, Armas-Luy noted that his experience and dedication to the district would undoubtedly exemplify value to the School Board. He stressed two primary goals that would drive all of his decisions, if elected as a board member: maintaining access to programs and maintaining the strength of teachers. Having been a student at North Penn has caused Armas-Luy to realize that the plethora of opportunities and diverse backgrounds of highly skilled educators is truly beneficial to students’ education.

Not only does Armas-Luy’s enthusiasm for education prove to run deep, but also his leading qualities that make for proactive endeavors.

“I think my number one quality is my commitment to taking action,” said Armas-Luy. “I don’t believe in just talking about things. Well, first, I believe in discussing, and then, making an action plan. I think my ability to drive action in the School Board is really valuable and will have a positive effect on the students.”

Although Armas-Luy realizes that his age might be a challenge, he trusts that, if elected, the School Board would consider his ideas and treat him like any other member. In fact, he noted that he’s experienced an overall positive response from others.

“People have been supportive and confused,” explained Armas-Luy. “A lot of people ask me if it’s legal for me to run. Any citizen can run. Overall, people get excited, and people like to see young people doing things, so I think overall it’s been a positive response.”

Armas-Luy has also been receiving an encouraging response from the social media outreach through a Facebook and Twitter page that his Deputy Campaign Manager, Sara Huzar, has recently been maintaining.

Also a senior at NPHS, Huzar explained that her recent efforts have been made with the goal of making the community aware that Armas-Luy is running.

“It’s just important for people to know that Oscar’s out there, and he’s an option for them, especially because he’s so different from anyone you would normally see on the ballot,” said Huzar. “He’s a lot younger and [closer] to our age. I think it’s important since you wouldn’t automatically consider him. He’s not the kind of person you would expect. You have to make sure people know he’s out there.”

Following the social media outreach, Armas-Luy explained that he’ll be organizing or attending several events relating to education and question and answer sessions. Not only will he attend various functions, but also will go door-to-door talking to people in the community with his team. He plans to discuss his campaign and listen to community members’ concerns, views on education, and thoughts in general.

If elected as School Director, Armas-Luy explained that the highlight of such a position would allow him to positively impact students’ education.

“The best part for me about being on the school board [would be] being able to really impact the quality of education here at my school where I went,” said Armas. “Because I’ll still have friends that go to the high school [and] middle school, I’ll be able to see how my decisions are really helping them and affecting their quality of education at North Penn.”