On May 21, rising seniors Danielle Johnson and Melanie Clement were elected by their peers to serve as liaisons to the school board. As Ex-Officio Student Member of the Board and alternate, respectively, they plan to make change in the Malverne school district.
They were sworn into their positions on July 8. These new roles are the result of a state mandate that ensures a students’ perspective is considered when board make decisions for their districts.
Q: What does this position mean to you?
Johnson: To me, the Ex-Officio position is one voice speaking for all. I’m able to advocate for all my endeavors, my peers, for all the problems and the things we want to see in our community.
Clement: As alternate, I plan to support Danielle and give her ideas. I’ll help with advocating for members of the student body she may not be able to reach.
Q: Why do you want to serve as a member of the board?
Johnson: I’ve seen so much over the years in our Malverne community. If I’m able to make change for future generations, I feel like now is the time to do so.
Clement: Seeing how the school has progressively grown is inspiring, and to be a part of that is a really big honor.
Q: What do you want to achieve in your role?
Johnson: I just want change and I want everybody to be happy. In the halls I hear, ‘Let’s do flag football, let’s make this a club, let’s do this etc.’ I want to be able to make a change and walk on graduation day saying, “yes, we did that as a community.”
Clement: It would be an honor to see what Danielle and I accomplish here in one year. When we come back for our ten year anniversary, we would like to see how much the school has flourished.
Q: Are you interested in pursuing a career in government?
Johnson: I’m not fully decided yet, but as of now I’ve been focused on business, marketing, and management. Something where I have the power to make changes, as I’m doing now.
Clement: I want to be a lawyer, so this is definitely one of the activities I’m interested in to help me gain experience.
Q: Are there any challenges you’ve faced up until now? What do you plan to do to change things?
Johnson: Sometimes things are said amongst the hallways but are never taken to the higher-ups, so now there’s gonna be a change. I advocated for the step team last year, I hope to do more activities and gain some recognition for it.
Clement: I There are certain career-based paths for STEM majors, like the robotics team, but less activities for non-STEM. Clubs like mock trial helped Danielle and me gain experience so we plan to bring that up and accommodate students’ interests.
Q: How will you balance the roles of student and board member?
Johnson: It’s important to be organized and not overstressed. I have a calendar with all the board meetings and all the summer and school assignments. Having that out in front of me helps me know what I need to do.
Clement: I write down events on my calendar. We’re both scholar-athletes with a 4.0 GPA. It’s not a hard thing for us to balance because we’ve already been involved in so many other things.
Q: Any messages to the Malverne school community?
Johnson: I just want the Malverne community to know that we’re here and we’re present for the entire district. Whether you’re an incoming freshman or about to graduate, we want you to know that this is your seat too.
