Jonnae Greene, an incoming junior at Baldwin High School, was recently sworn in as the district’s second-ever student representative to the Board of Education and the first junior to hold the position.
Stepping into the role means Jonnae, 16, will have a new responsibility: making sure students have a voice in conversations about decisions that affect their education.
“Something that is very important when it comes to my role is really serving as a bridge for administration, students and the community,” she said. “A lot of the things that are being decided at the board meetings do have a large impact on students and their overall experience in school.”
Jonnae first learned about the student representative position after attending a Board of Education meeting in February. Her attendance stemmed from her involvement in the Nassau County Bar Association’s Future Advocates Program.
As part of a summer internship, Jonnae was among Baldwin students who worked with the bar association to help develop curriculum for the program. She served on a media production team that created instructional case videos for participating schools across Nassau County.
While at the February meeting, Jonnae learned about the newly established student representative position. She spoke with board members, who encouraged her to apply for the position the following year.
As part of the selection process, candidates created campaign videos that were shown during community circles before students voted for their preferred representative.
“As a high school student, I don’t want to just represent the high school because this is for the whole district,” she said. “You do want to hear from the little ones at the elementary schools and the middle school.”
Although the idea has not yet been fully approved, Jonnae hopes to gather student feedback through surveys during community circles, giving her peers an opportunity to share the issues that are important to them.
“I really want to be that person that people can talk to,” she said.
Jonnae said students can also speak with her directly or send her an email about individual concerns that may not be addressed through broader surveys.
“A lot of things have to do with mental health,” Jonnae said. “I know that a lot of students, especially within the school, have very rigorous courses, and they have a very demanding schedule.”
She pointed to students balancing AP and honors courses with after-school clubs and activities, as well as responsibilities at home, including caring for younger siblings.
Jonnae believes her experience as a student can give board members insight into how attending school today differs from when they were students, particularly in the years since the Covid pandemic, with the influence of social media and a greater focus on mental health.
Outside her new role, Jonnae has long been interested in media and public speaking. She is involved with Baldwin High School’s Youth Change Leader Collaborative, a student-led group focused on leadership, civic engagement and community initiatives. Through the group’s media team, Jonnae helps produce videos highlighting school events, community topics and sports. She will also participate in student government during her junior year and has been involved in public speaking since elementary school.
Looking beyond high school, Jonnae said she is interested in pursuing broadcasting and news, and believes the reporting, writing and research skills she has developed through media complement her role as student representative.
“With that practice on reporting and writing and doing my research as well, it helps me to be able to report accurately on things that are happening within the school and in the Baldwin community,” she said.
