Student Liaisons Have Impact on D86 School Board

The agenda for the June 20  School Board meeting noted that—it being summer recess—there was no report this month from the school board’s student liaisons. But that didn’t mean they didn’t have an impact on board deliberations.

As the board considered a minor revision to the three-year district calendar, board member Michael Kuhn inquired about a request made by the liaisons that first semester finals occur prior to Christmas break, rather than almost immediately after.

Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl said the change would require moving the beginning of the school year up two weeks, which would present probable challenges related to August heat. Though the board wasn’t able to accommodate their request at this time, the discussion illustrated that the liaisons’ representation of student views is considered seriously by board members.

Voice of the students

The end of the school year at and high schools also meant seniors Kate Shea and Jenna Kandah saw their tenures as school board liaisons come to an end.

The liaisons deliver a report once a month to board members, keeping them advised of what’s going on with students at their school.

“I am their voice,” Shea said in an interview just before the school year ended. “I speak for all the students, which is a really big honor. I love Hinsdale Central so much. I just hope I represent them great.”

While the reports by the liaisons typically concern things like charitable efforts or student successes, the liaisons also may find themselves dealing with more controversial matters. For example, when fighting at Hinsdale South became an issue in the recent school board election, Kandah wasn’t afraid to offer her perspective to the board.

“I’ve been going to Hinsdale South for three-and-a-half years and I can say that I’ve only witnessed one fight,” Kandah told board members. “Fighting is not at all a big part of what goes on at Hinsdale South.”

Kandah was elected by her classmates to serve on the Hinsdale South Student Council, which in turn elected her to be the board liaison.

She admitted she had “no idea” what the liaison did.

“I actually asked the board liaison from last year [Talia Avci],“ she recalled. “The night before [the first meeting], I was freaking out.”

Shea said she “kind of had an idea” what the job entailed, but she also sought help from the previous liaison, Mia Davis.

“I actually went to a board meeting, like her last one, just to see what she did,” Shea said.

While their reports to the board are generally fairly brief, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of work that goes into them. Shea noted, for instance, that she met frequently with Hinsdale Central Principal Mike McGrory.

“He was so great and really open,” she said. “He really helped me transition into that liaison role.”

Board Recognizes Liaisons

At its last meeting in May, the District 86 board honored Kandah and Shea with special recognition thanking them for their year of service. Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl thanked Kandah for her insight and her “good sense of humor.”

“I enjoyed it,” Kandah said of her time as liaison. “It was a challenge for me to present the information and also maybe add in something to make it a little more interesting, like maybe a little humor.”

Wahl thanked Shea for her eloquence and “attention to detail.”

Shea will attend Miami University of Ohio in the fall, where she will study education or business.

“I really wanted to stay in the Midwest,” she said.

She said she chose Miami because it’s “known for its great academic reputation” and she fell in love with the campus on a visit.

If she chooses education, Shea, who participated in cross-country and soccer at Hinsdale Central, said she might be interested in becoming a coach.

Kandah is more certain about her future path.

“I want to be a teacher,” she said. “I’m deciding between elementary and high school. I would like either one.”

She’ll attend the University of Illinois this fall.

Kandah said if she could offer the school board any advice as she ends her tenure as liaison, it would be “to continue to put themselves in our shoes and think like a student.”