Thursday, October 1, 2026
As the 2025-26 school year came to a close, two students who attend local high schools also completed milestones in the history of their school districts.
Jackson Bowler, a rising senior at Lynbrook High School, and Sofia Ferkov, a rising senior at East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School, recently completed their terms as their school districts’ first-ever ex officio student members of the Board of Education.
Although they did not vote on board matters, both students spent the past year attending board meetings, presenting monthly reports, sharing student concerns and offering a student perspective on district decisions before passing the role on to the student representatives for the 2026-27 school year.
For Bowler, serving as Lynbrook School District’s first student board member was about making sure students felt they had a voice. He was selected after a multi-step application and interview process involving students, staff members and the Board of Education.
“I think I’m most proud that this was the first year of the role,” Bowler said. “People felt this position was important. They felt if they spoke to me, what I said would get through to the board members or administration.”
Each month, Bowler presented reports to the Lynbrook Board of Education based on student surveys and conversations with classmates. He also reached out to elementary school principals to better understand the perspectives of younger students.
“My role was for every student in the district,” he said. “I wanted people to know I was willing to talk with anyone who had a concern.”
Bowler said one of the biggest surprises was seeing how much work goes into developing the school district’s budget.
“It was September or October, and they were already talking about budget season,” he said. “Seeing that process from the beginning gave me a whole new appreciation for how much planning goes into those decisions.”
The experience also reinforced his plans to study political science after high school.
“I know what representing a constituency looks like now,” Bowler said. “That experience will definitely help me in the future.”
As incoming senior James Pisano prepares to take over the student position on the Lynbrook school board, Bowler encouraged him to embrace the role in his own way.
“They chose you for a reason,” he said. “Make it your own.”
Lynbrook Superintendent Paul Lynch praised Bowler for helping establish the position.
“Jackson set a high standard as our first ex officio student board member,” Lynch wrote in an email. “He looked beyond his role as a high school student, and helped shape the position into one that reflects and advocates for the voices of students across the entire district.”
Ferkov said she applied for the position on the East Rockaway Board of Education because she wanted to make a greater impact on her school community. She was selected after applying as a sophomore and interviewing with district administrators and student leaders before beginning the role as a junior.
“I wanted to have a bigger contribution to my community,” she said. “I wanted to have more of a position inside our education system.”
Looking back, she described serving on the Board of Education as one of the most meaningful experiences during her high school years.
“It was one of the most amazing experiences of my high school career,” Ferkov said. “It was really nice to have adults treat me as an equal and to represent students from a different perspective.”
One of her biggest accomplishments, she said, was reopening the district’s student cabinet, a group of students from different grade levels that met with district leaders to discuss school issues and provide feedback, giving students another way to share their voices.
“Principal (Richard) Schaffer and I brainstormed how to get more students involved,” she said. “The cabinet gave students another opportunity to have their voices heard.”
The discussions and surveys she conducted also highlighted concerns about student wellness, including the need for more spaces where students could take a break during the school day.
“Our academics weren’t the problem,” Ferkov said. “The teachers give us a lot of support. Students wanted spaces where they could take a mental break during the day.”
Ferkov, who plans to pursue a career in psychiatry, said the position helped her become a stronger communicator and advocate.
“It helped me grow into myself,” she said. “I’m more confident speaking in public, communicating with adults and advocating for other people.”
As Nora Smith prepares to succeed her, Ferkov said she hopes the next student representative embraces the opportunity.
“Be confident and don’t doubt yourself,” she said. “Really take this opportunity because it changes you for the better.”
East Rockaway Superintendent James DeTommaso said Ferkov made a lasting impact during her inaugural year in the role.
“Sofia Ferkov was a trailblazer in every sense of the word,” DeTommaso wrote in an email. “As the district’s first student board member, she represented her classmates with pride while working closely with principals and district administrators to showcase the many great things happening throughout our schools.”
As Bowler and Ferkov prepare to enter their senior year, both said the experience taught them how to advocate for others while helping establish a tradition they hope future student representatives will continue for years to come.
