{"id":49164,"date":"2025-10-27T09:29:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T13:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/?p=49164"},"modified":"2025-10-27T09:29:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T13:29:40","slug":"student-reps-add-valuable-insight-for-north-penn-school-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/top-stories\/2025\/10\/27\/student-reps-add-valuable-insight-for-north-penn-school-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Student reps add valuable insight for North Penn School Board"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The North Penn School Board meets once every month and a lot of effort goes into these meetings to ensure that the school district stays safe and stimulating. But how do the adults know what to change or add if they are not attending the school themselves? That is where the School Board Student Representatives step up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are five School Board committees at North Penn, each with their own specific tasks. For the representatives, two students are assigned per committee: Celia Francois \u201827 and Malachi Nisbett \u201827 on the ECI committee; Aminah Alamari \u201827 and Srijani Saha \u201827 on the Policy committee; Cassasdra Kim \u201827 and Audery McCartney \u201827 on the Facilities and Operations committee; Grace Jiao \u201826 and Thomas Judge \u201826 on the Safe Schools committee; and Robel Kassahun \u201827 and Harshitha Yanamandra \u201826 on the Finance committee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These ten students were selected to represent their school because of their obvious passion in enhancing their school district to be the best version. Some of the students applied for the board position because they want to shed light on the importance of unity and student expression in North Penn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI chose to apply because I care about making our school, our community, and our environment better for everyone,\u201d Nisbett explained. \u201c[To make sure] that North Penn isn&#8217;t only treating everyone with equality but with equity as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside>\n    <div class='pullquote sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 sno-animate pullquote-shadow'>\n                <div class=\"quotebody\">\n                        <div class='largequote'>&ldquo;<\/div>\n                                    <p class='pullquotetext'>I\u2019ve always cared about student voices being taken seriously, and I\u2019ve even emailed senators and local leaders before about issues that matter to me<\/p>\n                            <p class='quotespeaker'>&mdash; Celia Francois, NPHS Student <\/p>\n                        <div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<style>\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 {\n    display: flex;\n    float: left;\n    margin: 30px 30px 30px 0;\n    width: 50%;\n    border-color: #24a9e2;\n    border-top-width: 5px;\n    border-right-width: 5px;\n    border-bottom-width: 5px;\n    border-left-width: 5px;\n    background-color: #09103a;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 p.pullquotetext,\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 p.quotespeaker {\n    color: #ffffff !important;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 .pullquotepic {\n    width: 33%;\n    margin-left: 25px;\n}\n.sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 p.pullquotetext {\n    font-size: 22px;\n    line-height: 1.4em;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 .quotebar {\n    background: #279ff4;\n    flex: 0 0 90px;\n    margin-top: -15px;\n    margin-left: -15px;\n    padding-left: 15px;\n    padding-top: 15px;\n    margin-right: 15px;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 .largequote {\n\tcolor: #ffffff;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7b5b2 .quotebody {\n    width: unset;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve always cared about student voices being taken seriously, and I\u2019ve even emailed senators and local leaders before about issues that matter to me,\u201d Francois stated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere&#8217;s a good amount of both Muslim students and Arab students that need to be represented to the board, and I wanted to be that representation,\u201d Alamari acknowledged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others wanted to be student representatives for the opportunities the position entails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI had an amazing opportunity to design a rain garden for the high school renovations. I really enjoyed working on that process and meeting the people involved,\u201d McCartney said. \u201cI want to continue to help make a difference at North Penn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI am aiming to attend the US Services academies and have a career in either the military or as a first responder. Helping people is always what I&#8217;ve wanted to do,\u201d Judge conveyed. \u201cWhether that is from my help as a volunteer firefighter, going to community events to help out, or just mowing the lawn for the neighbor. I have the ability to help, and I want to use it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<aside>\n    <div class='pullquote sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 sno-animate pullquote-shadow'>\n                <div class=\"quotebody\">\n                        <div class='largequote'>&ldquo;<\/div>\n                                    <p class='pullquotetext'>Whether that is from my help as a volunteer firefighter, going to community events to help out, or just mowing the lawn for the neighbor. I have the ability to help, and I want to use it<\/p>\n                            <p class='quotespeaker'>&mdash; Thomas Judge, NPHS Student <\/p>\n                        <div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<style>\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 {\n    display: flex;\n    float: right;\n    margin: 30px 0 30px 30px;\n    width: 50%;\n    border-color: #24a9e2;\n    border-top-width: 5px;\n    border-right-width: 5px;\n    border-bottom-width: 5px;\n    border-left-width: 5px;\n    background-color: #09103a;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 p.pullquotetext,\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 p.quotespeaker {\n    color: #ffffff !important;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 .pullquotepic {\n    width: 33%;\n    margin-left: 25px;\n}\n.sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 p.pullquotetext {\n    font-size: 22px;\n    line-height: 1.4em;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 .quotebar {\n    background: #279ff4;\n    flex: 0 0 90px;\n    margin-top: -15px;\n    margin-left: -15px;\n    padding-left: 15px;\n    padding-top: 15px;\n    margin-right: 15px;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 .largequote {\n\tcolor: #ffffff;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7bea9 .quotebody {\n    width: unset;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the representatives, the ability to see how School Board meetings are run as well as contributing to lasting decisions is a unique, character building experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s an eye-opening experience to see how much thought and collaboration go into policies that shape our education and our daily lives at school,\u201d Jiao remarked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI like that I have a voice in the decisions that are made for our district,\u201d Saha stated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBeing on the school board gives me the opportunity to connect with adults looking to make our school a better place,\u201d Alamari explained. \u201cIn the past, it was adults making decisions, but now students have a seat in that room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the representatives are assigned to different committees, their jobs may look different, however their main goal remains the same: strengthen the community of North Penn by representing their student body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy committee, in particular, Facilities &amp; Operations, especially values student input and is always looking for ways to improve the high school, especially during renovations,\u201d Kim said.\u00a0 \u201cAs a student rep, I mainly listen and take notes on meetings, asking questions when necessary.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy main tasks include attending board meetings, voicing student opinions and concerns, providing feedback on school policies, and helping to communicate board school policies back to the student body,\u201d Kassahun explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn addition to attending all policy committee meetings, my main job is to highlight what are called \u2018student reports,\u2019\u201d Saha commented. \u201cEssentially, I am tasked with discovering the policy-related issues that are of most concern to students and evaluating the best way to deliver those concerns at meetings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<aside>\n    <div class='pullquote sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 sno-animate pullquote-shadow'>\n                <div class=\"quotebody\">\n                        <div class='largequote'>&ldquo;<\/div>\n                                    <p class='pullquotetext'>Essentially, I am tasked with discovering the policy-related issues that are of most concern to students and evaluating the best way to deliver those concerns at meetings<\/p>\n                            <p class='quotespeaker'>&mdash; Srijana Saha, NPHS Student <\/p>\n                        <div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<style>\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 {\n    display: flex;\n    float: right;\n    margin: 30px 0 30px 30px;\n    width: 50%;\n    border-color: #24a9e2;\n    border-top-width: 5px;\n    border-right-width: 5px;\n    border-bottom-width: 5px;\n    border-left-width: 5px;\n    background-color: #09103a;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 p.pullquotetext,\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 p.quotespeaker {\n    color: #ffffff !important;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 .pullquotepic {\n    width: 33%;\n    margin-left: 25px;\n}\n.sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 p.pullquotetext {\n    font-size: 22px;\n    line-height: 1.4em;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 .quotebar {\n    background: #279ff4;\n    flex: 0 0 90px;\n    margin-top: -15px;\n    margin-left: -15px;\n    padding-left: 15px;\n    padding-top: 15px;\n    margin-right: 15px;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 .largequote {\n\tcolor: #ffffff;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7c538 .quotebody {\n    width: unset;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI communicate with classmates and student leaders to gather feedback and bring these perspectives to the Board,\u201d Jiao conveyed. \u201cMy main job is to listen to the students&#8217; voices and perspectives around me and convey them to district leaders to improve the school and district.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the year has just begun, the new representatives are excited to attend their first meetings and launch their prominent plans into action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI have a few ideas surrounding environmental sustainability. I am a member of the Green Schools Campaign and I would like to bring those ideas to the meetings,\u201d McCartney pronounced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI would love to review the current grading policy and see if there&#8217;s any revisions or changes that could be made to improve it,\u201d Francois said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI would like to focus on initiatives that increase transparency in how school resources are allocated,\u201d Kassahun stated. \u201cI\u2019m also interested in supporting programs that enhance student engagement and overall well-being.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After experiencing the application process for themselves, the students have advice for others potentially interested in applying for the position next year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNot only is this a great opportunity to build your resume and network, but it is an opportunity to build self-confidence, leadership skills, and plenty of soft skills that you need for life,\u201d Nisbett remarked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBeing included in a committee will get you thinking [about] how you [can] use your positions to express concerns and raise awareness,\u201d Judge explained. \u201cIt&#8217;s a very big responsibility to uphold, but when you are able to show your concern in a topic that is being discussed, it makes you more prone to involving yourself, asking questions, and contributing your experiences as a student at North Penn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<aside>\n    <div class='pullquote sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 sno-animate pullquote-shadow'>\n                <div class=\"quotebody\">\n                        <div class='largequote'>&ldquo;<\/div>\n                                    <p class='pullquotetext'>he truth is that the Board isn&#8217;t looking for perfect students; they&#8217;re looking for active members of the North Penn ecosystem that care about the welfare of other students and show an interest in making North Penn a better place<\/p>\n                            <p class='quotespeaker'>&mdash; Cassandra Kim, NPHS Student <\/p>\n                        <div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<style>\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 {\n    display: flex;\n    float: left;\n    margin: 30px 30px 30px 0;\n    width: 50%;\n    border-color: #24a9e2;\n    border-top-width: 5px;\n    border-right-width: 5px;\n    border-bottom-width: 5px;\n    border-left-width: 5px;\n    background-color: #09103a;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 p.pullquotetext,\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 p.quotespeaker {\n    color: #ffffff !important;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 .pullquotepic {\n    width: 33%;\n    margin-left: 25px;\n}\n.sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 p.pullquotetext {\n    font-size: 22px;\n    line-height: 1.4em;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 .quotebar {\n    background: #279ff4;\n    flex: 0 0 90px;\n    margin-top: -15px;\n    margin-left: -15px;\n    padding-left: 15px;\n    padding-top: 15px;\n    margin-right: 15px;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 .largequote {\n\tcolor: #ffffff;\n}\n.sno-pullquote-6a4d5e3a7cb43 .quotebody {\n    width: unset;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would tell students wanting to apply to be genuine in their applications,\u201d Kim stated. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is that the Board isn&#8217;t looking for perfect students; they&#8217;re looking for active members of the North Penn ecosystem that care about the welfare of other students and show an interest in making North Penn a better place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is not a simple task to be the voice of the North Penn students when it comes to tackling issues surrounding the district in a room filled with adults. However, these ten students have risen to the challenge and are more than ready to step up and represent their school to evoke developments that will have a lasting impact on North Penn history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The North Penn School Board meets once every month and a lot of effort goes into these meetings to ensure that the school district stays safe and stimulating. But how do the adults know what to change or add if they are not attending the school themselves? That is where the School Board Student Representatives&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,11],"tags":[],"staff_name":[1565],"class_list":["post-49164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-top-stories","staff_name-emilia-adarayan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49164"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49167,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49164\/revisions\/49167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49164"},{"taxonomy":"staff_name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/staff_name?post=49164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}