Trinity Hemphill and Adrian Jimenez are Waukegan Community School District 60’s newly sworn-in student members of the Board of Education.
Jimenez, a junior at the Washington campus of Waukegan High School, and Hemphill, a sophomore at the Brookside location, have ample opportunities to meet with their older constituents during the school day and through social media.
Recognizing they also represent students at the district’s 15 elementary schools, five middle Schools, the Alternative Optional Education Center and the Robbie Lightfoot Early Learning Center, Hemphill and Jimenez plan to find other means of communication.
Though Jimenez and Hemphill said visits to elementary and middle schools are one way to develop relationships with their younger constituents, social media may have its limits with students in the earlier grades.
“Every student has their own voice that needs to be heard,” Hemphill said. “We’ll (start by) talking to the principals,” she added, knowing each school has its own social media outlets on which the principal can make posts. “We’ll go to school events.”
Jiminez and Hemphill took their oaths of office on June 22 at a meeting of the Board of Education at the Education Service Center in Waukegan, officially becoming the voice of the district’s approximately 14,000 students.
Attending Little Fort Elementary School and Jack Benny Middle School before entering high school, Jiminez is part of the JROTC program at the high school, participating in many of the organization’s events, including the Scholastic Bowl, the drum corps and other programs.
Before she got to the Brookside campus last fall, Hemphill went to Carman-Buckner Elementary School and John Lewis Middle School. She has served as a student ambassador, is a member of the Business Club and does Sudoku puzzles in her spare time.
Believing every student has a voice that must be heard, Hemphill said she plans to hear those voices and carry them to the school board. She plans to spend time doing a lot of listening so she can represent her schoolmates.
Believing he can help his schoolmates and other students in the district, Jimenez said he decided to run for the student board position to make a positive change for the student body. He, too, plans to do a lot of listening as well as practicing advocacy.
“I want to help make a difference,” Jimenez said. “I want to bring what I hear to the board. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a voice to my fellow students and hope to improve the school for everyone.”
Part of the job for Hemphill and Jimenez is attending all board meetings, sitting on the dais with the elected members, and offering their opinions when appropriate. Board member Anita Hanna asked them to opine less than an hour after they took their oath.
“I’m going to give them input on what’s on students’ minds,” Jimenez said. “I want to be helpful giving them input on how students feel about things that have an impact on them. I’m going to take in all the information so I can give my opinion.”
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When the board makes a decision whether to hire a new food vendor for student meals or offer a new contract to the existing provider before school starts in August, Hemphill and Jiminez will be well positioned to offer input. They have eaten school breakfasts and lunches for years.
“We’ll have a lot to say,” Hemphill said. “We’ve been eating school meals for a lot of years. It’s important we all eat nutritious food.”
Both student board members campaigned for their positions with the students at the high school, and they were among the top vote-getters. The final decision was made by the Board of Education.