These Long Island students have been school board members, too
Olivia DeMarco and Ronald Gray Jr. saw their time on the Levittown school board as an opportunity and a privilege. They said the experience helped their public speaking and gave them a look into how local government works. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
At least one night of the month during their senior year, Levittown students Olivia DeMarco and Ronald Gray Jr. traded extracurricular activities and time with friends for a seat next to school board members, listening to discussion about policies, budgets and at times influencing decisions on items that impacted students.
The graduating seniors were among several Long Island students who took on the role of student representatives on school boards. They gave reports on school activities and awards, shared their own insights, and learned some things in the process.
“I just thought it was nice that students had a voice at the board meetings,” DeMarco, 18, said. “It was great that a lot of the good things were able to get acknowledged.”
State lawmakers are pushing a bill that would require all school boards and BOCES to designate at least one student as advisory members on the boards.
State Sen. Shelley B. Mayer, who sponsored the bill, said the legislation has passed both the Assembly and Senate and is awaiting approval by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"This bill will give students new opportunities to engage with their school board and build skills and habits of civic engagement that will serve them for a lifetime," said Mayer, who chairs the State Senate Education Committee. She added it also would give the students a platform "to share their valuable insight about the policy and operation of their schools with key decision-makers."
Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for Hochul, said last month the governor “will review the legislation.”
Though the students would have a seat on the board, the legislation states they wouldn't have a vote. They also wouldn't be able to attend executive sessions or other meetings not open to the public, nor would they be paid. The student must have attended their school for a minimum of a year.
Newsday spoke to five students from three Long Island school districts about their experience serving on their school boards.
How they got there: Division Avenue High School officials selected Gray as a student representative, while DeMarco's peers at MacArthur High School elected her to a student government position that granted her a school board seat.
Their board experience: Gray and DeMarco, both of Levittown, said it involved gathering information from their principals and fellow students before presenting it to school officials and parents at meetings. They also gave their input to board members.
In one instance, the board was discussing whether to bring back certain after-school buses that had not been restored after the pandemic. Schools Superintendent Todd Winch said the board took into consideration the students’ comments before making a final decision to bring back a late bus route to middle school students.
“They shared feedback about the importance of late buses at the middle level, as opposed to the high school level, and that helped the board make their decision,” Winch said.
“I think being part of the way that decisions are made and being part of how my friends and classmates are affected, it makes me feel like the students actually contribute to what happens to them,” Gray, 17, said.
The students said the experience also helped their public speaking and gave them a look into how local government works.
“The more I get involved, the more appreciative I am that I have the opportunity to get involved because it’s not an opportunity everyone has access to,” Gray said.
DeMarco added: “It’s definitely a privilege to be able to speak on behalf of our two amazing high schools.”
Where they're going: DeMarco will attend Marymount Manhattan College, where she will major in musical theater. Gray will attend Fordham University in the fall, majoring in chemistry.
How they got there: Guiffre, 18, of Holbrook, was the student government president of Sachem High School North, and LoPiccolo, 17, of Holtsville, served in that capacity for Sachem High School East. Those positions came with a seat on the board.
Their board experience: The seniors attended biweekly board meetings and gave a “student board member report” that consisted of highlights and happenings at schools. Guiffre said board members would ask for their input on items such as Regents exams, AP and honors classes, and sports.
He noted that "I know there’s going to be districts out there that need that voice more than Sachem."
In an era where electronics dominate, LoPiccolo said he always showed up with pen and notepad at the meetings. One of the biggest challenges, he said, was making sure he was absolutely accurate when approaching the board.
“I definitely think it was a great opportunity for me to get a feel on what actually goes on in our community and what people actually get a say in,” LoPiccolo said.
The seniors received an award from the school district for their service during the winter.
“It’s a great opportunity for them in regard to civic readiness,” said Sachem school board president Robert Scavo. “It provides us great insight as to what is going on in the schools.”
Where they're going: Guiffre will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst and will major in finance. LoPiccolo enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard.
How she got there: Scala, 17, of Stony Brook, is a graduating senior at Ward Melville High School and was the president of student government, which granted her a seat on the panel next to board members. She gave reports on events and activities across district schools.
Her board experience: Scala said her time on the board gave her some insight on how the school budget works, and more.
“Just sitting in on these meetings of how the school district operates, about what goes into all different departments … it’s just interesting to learn, as a 17-year-old, what goes on in the district,” she said.
Scala said being on the board also allowed her to learn about clubs and activities that had been unfamiliar to her. "There’s some ... that I never even heard of before that won some amazing awards that I get to inform the community and board of education about,” she said.
Ward Melville Principal Paul Gold, who worked closely with Scala to prepare for board meetings, said Scala provided information to the community that oftentimes school boards don’t have the opportunity to see or discuss.
“When the board is focusing on helping implement and execute policy, people like Nicole are doing a great job talking about the nuts and bolts of what goes on in our schools,” Gold said.
Gold said the feedback from Scala and other school government students helped them make significant changes, including which end-of-year events to include for high school seniors.
“If you want good buy-in in a high school, when it comes to making important decisions and changes, you better include the kids,” Gold said.
Where she's going: Scala will be attending Marist College in the fall, majoring in accounting.
At least one night of the month during their senior year, Levittown students Olivia DeMarco and Ronald Gray Jr. traded extracurricular activities and time with friends for a seat next to school board members, listening to discussion about policies, budgets and at times influencing decisions on items that impacted students.
The graduating seniors were among several Long Island students who took on the role of student representatives on school boards. They gave reports on school activities and awards, shared their own insights, and learned some things in the process.
“I just thought it was nice that students had a voice at the board meetings,” DeMarco, 18, said. “It was great that a lot of the good things were able to get acknowledged.”
State lawmakers are pushing a bill that would require all school boards and BOCES to designate at least one student as advisory members on the boards.
State Sen. Shelley B. Mayer, who sponsored the bill, said the legislation has passed both the Assembly and Senate and is awaiting approval by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"This bill will give students new opportunities to engage with their school board and build skills and habits of civic engagement that will serve them for a lifetime," said Mayer, who chairs the State Senate Education Committee. She added it also would give the students a platform "to share their valuable insight about the policy and operation of their schools with key decision-makers."
Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for Hochul, said last month the governor “will review the legislation.”
Though the students would have a seat on the board, the legislation states they wouldn't have a vote. They also wouldn't be able to attend executive sessions or other meetings not open to the public, nor would they be paid. The student must have attended their school for a minimum of a year.
Newsday spoke to five students from three Long Island school districts about their experience serving on their school boards.
Ronald Gray Jr. and Olivia DeMarco, Levittown district
Gray and DeMarco provided insight about after-school busing. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
How they got there: Division Avenue High School officials selected Gray as a student representative, while DeMarco's peers at MacArthur High School elected her to a student government position that granted her a school board seat.
Their board experience: Gray and DeMarco, both of Levittown, said it involved gathering information from their principals and fellow students before presenting it to school officials and parents at meetings. They also gave their input to board members.
In one instance, the board was discussing whether to bring back certain after-school buses that had not been restored after the pandemic. Schools Superintendent Todd Winch said the board took into consideration the students’ comments before making a final decision to bring back a late bus route to middle school students.
“They shared feedback about the importance of late buses at the middle level, as opposed to the high school level, and that helped the board make their decision,” Winch said.
“I think being part of the way that decisions are made and being part of how my friends and classmates are affected, it makes me feel like the students actually contribute to what happens to them,” Gray, 17, said.
The students said the experience also helped their public speaking and gave them a look into how local government works.
“The more I get involved, the more appreciative I am that I have the opportunity to get involved because it’s not an opportunity everyone has access to,” Gray said.
DeMarco added: “It’s definitely a privilege to be able to speak on behalf of our two amazing high schools.”
Where they're going: DeMarco will attend Marymount Manhattan College, where she will major in musical theater. Gray will attend Fordham University in the fall, majoring in chemistry.
Dylan Guiffre and Dominick LoPiccolo, Sachem district
Guiffre, left, and LoPiccolo provided a "student board member report." Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
How they got there: Guiffre, 18, of Holbrook, was the student government president of Sachem High School North, and LoPiccolo, 17, of Holtsville, served in that capacity for Sachem High School East. Those positions came with a seat on the board.
Their board experience: The seniors attended biweekly board meetings and gave a “student board member report” that consisted of highlights and happenings at schools. Guiffre said board members would ask for their input on items such as Regents exams, AP and honors classes, and sports.
He noted that "I know there’s going to be districts out there that need that voice more than Sachem."
In an era where electronics dominate, LoPiccolo said he always showed up with pen and notepad at the meetings. One of the biggest challenges, he said, was making sure he was absolutely accurate when approaching the board.
“I definitely think it was a great opportunity for me to get a feel on what actually goes on in our community and what people actually get a say in,” LoPiccolo said.
The seniors received an award from the school district for their service during the winter.
“It’s a great opportunity for them in regard to civic readiness,” said Sachem school board president Robert Scavo. “It provides us great insight as to what is going on in the schools.”
Where they're going: Guiffre will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst and will major in finance. LoPiccolo enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Nicole Scala, Three Village district
Scala learned about the overall operations of the Three Village district. Credit: Rick Kopstein
How she got there: Scala, 17, of Stony Brook, is a graduating senior at Ward Melville High School and was the president of student government, which granted her a seat on the panel next to board members. She gave reports on events and activities across district schools.
Her board experience: Scala said her time on the board gave her some insight on how the school budget works, and more.
“Just sitting in on these meetings of how the school district operates, about what goes into all different departments … it’s just interesting to learn, as a 17-year-old, what goes on in the district,” she said.
Scala said being on the board also allowed her to learn about clubs and activities that had been unfamiliar to her. "There’s some ... that I never even heard of before that won some amazing awards that I get to inform the community and board of education about,” she said.
Ward Melville Principal Paul Gold, who worked closely with Scala to prepare for board meetings, said Scala provided information to the community that oftentimes school boards don’t have the opportunity to see or discuss.
“When the board is focusing on helping implement and execute policy, people like Nicole are doing a great job talking about the nuts and bolts of what goes on in our schools,” Gold said.
Gold said the feedback from Scala and other school government students helped them make significant changes, including which end-of-year events to include for high school seniors.
“If you want good buy-in in a high school, when it comes to making important decisions and changes, you better include the kids,” Gold said.
Where she's going: Scala will be attending Marist College in the fall, majoring in accounting.