South Mecklenburg News

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools issued the following announcement on Dec. 17.

Juan Torres Munoz was the winner among seven finalists for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education's 2022 student advisor. Juan is a junior at East Mecklenburg High School. The student advisor, a position created by the Board in 2016, provides a student perspective and voice in Board decisions.

The student advisor is not a voting member of the Board but is expected to advocate for students and share the student viewpoint to inform the Board's decisions. The current advisor, Breana Fowler, is a senior at North Mecklenburg High.

"The student advisor is a critically important asset for the Board," said Elyse Dashew, Board chair. "Breana has been an effective and passionate advocate for students this year. We wish her the best in her continued leadership journey. We welcome Juan and look forward to working with him in the coming year."

Breana said she had found the experience engaging and enriching.

"This has been such a tremendous opportunity for me to learn about the policy, procedures and governance of CMS," Breana said. "I'm sad to leave it but I wish Juan the best. We'll be meeting soon to help ensure a smooth transition."

Juan said he was honored by the opportunity.

"I'm looking forward to learning so much about the Board and the governance of our district," he said. "I will work to represent all the students in CMS."

The election was managed by the youth organization GenerationNation. Amy Farrell, executive director, supervised the election and the vote count.

"There was so much interest this year," Farrell said. "We are glad to see such a high degree of interest and involvement, and we congratulate Juan on his win."

The other six finalists, their grades and high schools were:

• Veronica Bofa, a junior at Harding University High School
• Letrell Grady, a junior at Cato Middle College High School
• Bella Naspinski, a junior at South Mecklenburg High School
• Claire Ryu, a junior at Ardrey Kell High School
• Malachi Thompson, a sophomore at West Charlotte High School
• Catherine Tiddy, a junior at Myers Park High School

Sophomores and juniors can apply for the position. Student advisors serve for a calendar year, rather than an academic year. Finalists were chosen by a seven-member review panel comprised of the current student advisor, a representative of GenerationNation, the chairs of the Board's Policy and Intergovernmental Relationships committees, the executive director of government affairs and the current teacher and principal of the year.

The student-advisor candidates took part in a roundtable discussion via Zoom on Dec. 8 to introduce themselves to the student voters.

Original source can be found here.