The Olympia School Board welcomed two new student representatives at its June 23 meeting, bid farewell to those who served this past year, and announced two additional student representative seats are still open for the 2022-23 school year.
Directors recently updated board policy to have four student representatives serve on the school board each year – a junior or senior from Capital, Olympia and Avanti high schools, and an eleventh or twelfth grader from the Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA). Each of the four student representatives also has the opportunity, based on the newly approved Board
Policy 1250, to cast a non-binding advisory vote.
During its regular meeting on June 23, Superintendent Patrick Murphy and the board thanked outgoing student representatives Michelle Pineda of Avanti High, and Matthew Scott of Olympia High, for their service.
Board President Maria Flores described Pineda as a “fierce advocate for justice.” She summarized Scott as “a man of few words, but when he says them they are explicitly to the point, incredibly thoughtful and well-thought-out.”
After wishing both students well in their futures, Flores administered the oath of office to new student representatives Rahma Gaye from Capital High and Christine Zhang from Olympia High. Gaye and Zhang both took their board seats immediately after taking the oath and were joined in the audience by family members.
Search continues for student representative from Avanti High and ORLA
The board continues its search for a student representative from Avanti High School and ORLA, as no one had applied by the June 23 board meeting. Avanti HS and ORLA students entering grades 11 or 12 this fall are
encouraged to apply for the other two open seats. The deadline to apply is 11 p.m. on Sunday, August 21.
Student representatives serve a one-year term on the board through June 20, 2023. For more information about being a student representative, visit the
Student Representatives webpage on the district website or contact Emmie San Nicolas, executive assistant to the Superintendent, by email at
[email protected] or by phone at (360) 596-6114.