Thursday, October 1, 2026
Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, Lynbrook and East Rockaway High Schools will be implementing recent New York legislation that requires all school districts with a high school to select a student Board of Education representative. Lynbrook High School junior Jackson Bowler will serve as the inaugural student representative, with his one-year term beginning on July 1. From East Rockaway High School, junior Sofia Ferkov will serve as East Rockaway’s student representative; her swearing-in ceremony occurred at East Rockaway’s BOE meeting on July 8.
Signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in September, Legislation S.9018A/A.9855A specifies that the student representative will serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member, and the selected student must only have attended his/her high school for a minimum of one year prior to being considered for the position.
Bowler’s main motivation to apply for the student representative position is his love for his peers, classmates, and community.
“I love Lynbrook; it’s such a great place. I think there’s always room for improvement, there’s always room to make everything better. I just wanted to run to make Lynbrook the best it can possibly be,” Bowler explained.
In addition to now being the student representative, Bowler is also an involved student, most notably on LHS’ award-winning, student-run newspaper, Horizon; next school year, Bowler will hold the position of Co-Print Editor-in-Chief alongside junior Delia Kirkpatrick and senior Sophia Woods. Currently, Bowler is a Boy Scout, actively working toward his Eagle Scout recognition. Ferkov is a dedicated athlete, participating in both flag football and cross country.
Bowler’s position will entail collecting student feedback on good and bad happenings around the district, along with student achievements, then presenting a statement during the reports section of the monthly BOE meetings.
“It’s almost like a ‘State of the District’ for that month from the students’ perspective,” Sarosy described. In meetings, Bowler will be on the receiving end of public comments alongside his fellow board members, and is permitted to ask questions in situations such as budget hearings.
Bowler was selected as Lynbrook’s student representative via a three-step process. First, he was among a pool of seven LHS sophomores who submitted anonymous written applications for consideration. The application gathered information on each applicant’s school involvement, opinions on student issues, and plans for how the applicant would gather student perspectives to present to the BOE. These applications were then reviewed by seniors in John Cornicello’s AP US Government and Politics class, who selected five students to move to Phase Two.
Among four other peers, Bowler participated in a committee interview, which included LHS staff, faculty, and selected seniors. After being chosen as one of the final three candidates, Bowler’s third stage consisted of an interview with BOE members.
LHS principal Matthew Sarosy noted one quality of Bowler’s that stood out among the rest: his interest in policy. “That’s what [the BOE] is so well-versed in, is creating policy to run the district effectively, and I think he shined in that way: that he has a really unique interest in school policy, and especially at such a young age,” Sarosy elaborated.
At the Tuesday, Jul. 1 BOE meeting, Bowler was sworn in alongside the current board members. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Lynch was quick to commend Bowler’s early initiative in his new position. “I want to let the community know he’s already hit the job running. He had asked me to email all the principals, so that he wants to get input from not just high school students; he wants to make sure he’s representing all of the students,” Lynch said in the meeting livestream. In a personal address to Bowler, Lynch added, “We look forward to some really great work and we look forward to hearing some of your reports.”
Members of the central administration hope that a student representative on BOEs across NY will positively impact their individual districts.
“I know our Board is committed to making the student board member an integral part of our process. I hope other districts choose to do the same,” Lynch wrote in a statement given to the Herald.
Sarosy said he agreed with the legislation, emphasizing the importance of student voices.
“When you talk about a school, just think, ‘If adults are the only people making decisions that impact, in Lynbrook, thousands of students, that doesn’t make sense.’ So we need that perspective,” Sarosy reflected.
Bowler is eager and looking forward to his year ahead on the BOE: “I’m excited. I’m excited to get to work and do the job.”
