Poway Unified school board looking for the next student representative

By Emily Sorensen

Want to be a voice in your school district? The position of student board representative is opening for high school juniors.

The Poway Unified School District board is looking to fill the position of student board representative for the fourth year, as current board representative Mt. Carmel High School senior Anna Page prepares to graduate. Any current PUSD high school junior who is in good standing may apply for the position. Applications are due Wednesday, April 17, and the new board member will be presented to the public on Monday, May 20 at the monthly board meeting.

In addition to submitting an application, potential student board members will undergo an interview process this spring, before the final decision is made. As student board representative, the selected student will be expected to attend and participate in the monthly school board meetings, be able to give sufficient time to study the issues coming before the school board, and to act as the student voice for the entire school district.

“It has been wonderful, and interesting,” said Page of her time on the board. Page will stay on the board through the end of the school year, with the new board representative taking over in August. “I’m sad to be leaving. It’s been a phenomenal experience.”

Page is the third student to hold the position, taking over from Poway High School student Gustavo Lopez. Westview High School student Victoria Wu was the first student board member, during the 2010-11 school year.

Already interested in politics when she joined the school board, Page found that the controversial capital appreciation bond issue has helped shape her future direction. “Going in, I had no idea how heavy the financing would be,” said Page. “So much of that goes into running the board.” Now preparing to head to college, Page said her time on the board has inspired her choice of major. “I’ll be majoring in economics, with an emphasis in statistics,” said Page. “Possibly, I’ll go into the financial sector [as a career].”

Page said she made time to periodically meet with different board members to discuss the monthly meeting agendas, spending two or more hours discussing the issues. “The amount of time you put into [the board position] is what you get out of it,” said Page.

Page had a little advice to give to prospective board members, saying applicants should be themselves. “Show you have an interest in creating a better community, and have a spark,” said Page. “I encourage [the new board member] to take every opportunity given, and look at how [the position] can influence your future.”

Information and the application for student board representative can be found on the district’s website, www.powayusd.com/board/studentboard.