Student liaisons debut at Wantagh BOE meeting

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The two Wantagh High School Student Government Organization co-presidents, Senior Katie Browne and Sophomore Melanie Volz were welcomed on Sept 20 to their first meeting of the Wantagh Board of Education in their roles as student representatives to the board.

Wantagh Schools Superintendent John McNamara described the students’ responsibilities as “liaisons between the board and high school students — sharing information about the activities and accomplishments of the student body and providing insight and support to the Board’s understanding of student issues and perspectives.”

According to the Wantagh Board of Education President Peter Mountanos, both Browne and Volz are smart young women with a wonderful future ahead of them. “They are an asset to our board and I look forward to working with them,” he said.

Mountanos said having student representatives on the Wantagh board provides insight into the needs of the students. “As a person who ran for the board just after graduating high school, I believe it’s important for our young students to involve themselves in local politics,” he said. “All students deserve a voice at the table and their perspective to be heard.”

Wantagh High School Principal Carolyn Breivogel said both girls were very humble, despite the size of their jobs. “Each individual class has its own governor, its own board and its own government; [Browne and Volz] oversee everything … It’s a huge job.”

Volz, 15, described her role as a GO co-president as uniting the Wantagh community through clubs and fundraisers. “Its really just based on bringing the Wantagh community together through the clubs and understanding what is happening in Wantagh at the Board of Ed meetings and how we could possibly help or provide guidance to it,” she said.

Volz said favorite part about her role so far was announcing the homecoming king and queen and the parade float winners at homecoming. She is interested in studying mathematics and philosophy in college.

Browne, 16, added that a GO presidents need to organize their time well. “Student government is a huge undertaking,” she said. “And there is a lot of responsibility that comes with being co-presidents.

Browne said she and Volz run a lot of the school organized events such as homecoming and the pep rally. The two students also run fundraisers throughout the year for various charities.

Browne said she hopes to continue her education at the University of Delaware or the University of Scranton where she hopes to pursue career in physical therapy or occupational therapy. She said after college she might want to work in a hospital in New York City or Boston.

“I would like to be probably the top medical professional in one of the best hospitals which I could find,” she said.

“My parents have been very supportive in anything I’ve ever wanted to pursue and they have always encouraged me to go after my dreams and my goals

no matter how hard it might seem,”

she said.

Browne said students can only apply to be in the student government club as freshmen. The club usually chooses five or six freshman throughout the year for admission into the club.

Each year, the current leaders of student government select their successors, Browne said.

Browne said her favorite part of being in student government is being a voice for the students. “A lot of the time, its hard for students to articulate what they really want to do in a school and how to make it better and improve certain aspects of student life. I feel like being that voice for them is an incredible opportunity which I’ve been able to have in student government.”