Streamwood student to take active role on U-46 board
Elgin Area School District U-46 seated two new board members last Monday — but the board still has one empty seat.
On Monday, Streamwood High School junior Jacqueline Martinez will fill that seat as the next student board member for the 2011-12 school year.
An advisory board made up of U-46 high school students selected Martinez from a pool of five candidates from four district high schools.
Martinez studies Japanese in the World Language Academy at Streamwood. She is also a member of National Honor Society, the Key Club (a service group) and DECA (a business-oriented group), winning first place in her category at this year’s state DECA competition.
The advisory council was particularly impressed with Martinez’s plans to turn the student board member into a more active position.
“I want to be able to have different students’ perspectives … actually asking these kids, what do they think about the district, what should be changed … that’s what I want to be able to tell the board,” Martinez said.
But more than collecting feedback, Martinez wants to visit schools and talk to students about the importance of going to college.
“I just want to be able to talk to students of all ages,” she said. “I feel like with this position, I’ve been granted that opportunity.”
Streamwood senior Tim Rees, a member of the student advisory council, said Martinez’s ambitious plans for the position made her stand out.
“She really knows how to command herself,” Rees said. “She is very professional and very mature. She is involved in a variety of activities and clubs.”
He added, “She was the last one to be interviewed, and she just blew us all away.”
The student board member serves as a liaison between the student advisory council and the school board, advising the board on policies that affect students and updating the advisory council on board decisions. Student board members serve one-year terms and cannot vote.
Martinez replaces Nasir Almasri, a Bartlett High School senior.