During Youth in Board Service Day, Youth in Government Day, students get chance to see how their school, town are run
Stephen Finn
The Sun
The Cinnaminson Township Board of Education of Tuesday, Oct. 16, was unique in that it was run by students from the middle school for Youth in Board Service Day.
Students got a chance to see how a board of education meeting is run. Each sat in the place of the board member whose position on the board they were filling. At the head of the meeting were students Patrick Ghegan, who acted as board president for Laura Fitzwater, Amare Gantt, for Vice President James McGuckin, and Keira McKeon, for Superintendent Stephen Cappello.
The students led each portion of the meeting, save for the public portion when parents addressed the regular board. Working off of a script, they approved business reports, heard activities and event reports, and approved personnel recommendations.
The school recently held elections for student council, and all candidates running were allowed to sit on the board. The middle school council is responsible for planning dances and events such as the upcoming Veterans Day assembly.
Youth in Board Service Day was organized by Student Council advisors Melissa DeClementi and Lynda Collela.
“Anytime you give a student an opportunity to speak publicly it’s a good thing. We want to prepare them the best we can to be productive members of their community,” said DeClementi.
After Ghegan called for adjournment, the regular board congratulated the students on a job well done.
“You guys have done a fabulous job. You came here looking the part, very professional, and I certainly appreciate the time and dedication you’ve put into this,” said Cappello. “Hopefully, at the end of the day, you learned a lot about what it means to be a part of the civic process.”
Collela believes positive messages the students receive from adults in their community are key for their development.
“Everything they hear in the media can be so negative, so the feedback they get from adults in these positions is important,” said Collela.
The Monday prior was Youth in Government Day, also led by Collela and DeClementi, and sponsored by Mayor Donald Brauckmann and members of the township committee. Students toured township facilities, met township officials and learned about how township committee meetings are planned and coordinated.
It has been a number of years since the school has set its students up with the council for Youth in Government Day. Recent classes have only had the chance to serve on the school board.
“The kids don’t really get an opportunity to see how things work in their town,” said Collela.
“The relationship between the school and town council has improved recently,” said DeClementi. “A couple of them have students at the school.”
After showing them around, the committee provided scripts for the students, and they were allowed to serve in the roles of the township committee members.
Some of the same students who sat in with the school board also attended the committee meeting.
“It was well received and bridged the gap between the town and our school. They were able to talk to people in the municipal building about their town and what local government does,” said Collela.
