July 30 — Item of the day
A student from Susquehanna University, a graduate of Selinsgrove High, is one of the newest members of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
On Friday, the Department of Education announced that future SU junior Natalie Imhoof will serve as a board member for junior post-secondary students. She is joined on the board by Claire Chi, a junior from State College Area High School.
“Student voices are critically important as we work to develop policy and best practice in Commonwealth schools, and we welcome the unique perspectives that Natalie and Claire will bring to the State Board of Education,” said Acting Education Secretary Eric Hagarty. “Through their participation in a number of important conversations, these two brilliant young leaders will help shape the vision for education for decades to come.”
Imhoof is a biology and management major at Susquehanna University and serves as a student ambassador at the university and is a summer intern at the Mid-Atlantic Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development. Imhoof is also a leader of Partners for a Healthy Community’s Vertical Garden Project, where she creates and coordinates the installation of indoor gardens in seniors’ residences and has studied the effects of gardening on social isolation and loneliness. , a study she will provide to the National Gardening Association.
She is also treasurer of the American Sign Language (ASL) Treasurer’s Club.
“The board values input and perspectives from our student members on issues important to Pennsylvania students,” said board chair Karen Farmer White. “By including student leaders on the Board of Trustees, we seek to encourage civic engagement among Pennsylvania’s youth and to empower students to have their voices heard in the development of education policy.”
The Council of State amended its statutes in May 2008 to include student representation without the right to vote on the Council for Basic Education and the Council for Higher Education. Student members must attend and participate in board meetings, advise and consult with the board, and abide by the bylaws of the board. They will also establish an ongoing relationship with other students across the Commonwealth to more effectively represent students in the development of Pennsylvania educational policies. Members of the State Board of Education—and four student representatives—meet bimonthly throughout the year to discuss and vote on education policies and procedures.
