Students chosen for board

The new members believe students should have a voice on the school board.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Board of Education will have four new student members as of Nov. 13.

The board launched a policy in 2005 to have one student representative from each high school sit on the board to provide information about what is happening in the schools and to bring a new perspective to board discussions.

The students serve until the end of the school year in June.

There have been three student board members each year in the past, but there will be four this year, said Jamael Tito Brown, chairman of the board’s search committee to select candidates.

The four were introduced at Tuesday’s board meeting.

They are Sheldon D. Paramore from Youngstown Early College; Caprice A. Cornwell from Chaney; and Ammie-Marie R. Littke and Alycia N. Pixley, both from East.

Brown said the committee couldn’t choose between Littke and Pixley and opted to have both sit on the board, attending alternate meetings each month.

The four students are in the schools every day and know what is going on. It will be their responsibility to tell the board what they see and to offer suggestions on various issues, he said.

The selection process is competitive, and these candidates were impressive in interviews, Brown said.

The new board members said they feel it is important for students to have a voice on the board of education.

Littke said she’s seen a lot of things in school that the board wouldn’t notice and decided she wanted to be that voice.

Pixley said she thinks the board should have representatives from “the next generation” to offer input on issues.

Paramore is serving in his second year as the student board member from YEC. He said he enjoyed his experience last year and wanted to come back to assist the new student board members and to make sure his school is heard.

Cornwell, 17, is a former Woodrow Wilson High School student and now a Chaney senior. She is a varsity cheerleader and a member of Great Expectations, which is a Mount Union College program, and Mahoning-Columbiana Training Association and Promoting Student Intelligence. She plans to attend Mount Union and become an anesthesiologist. She is a member of the Student Advisory Board and president of Students Against Driving Drunk.

Paramore is 16 and a junior at YEC. He is a member of Mahoning Valley Youth Leadership Class of 2007, secretary of the Class of 2009, a member of the Student Advisory Board and an officer in both the Spanish and Panda clubs. He plans to major in political science at Ohio State University and go on to law school.

Pixley, 17, is a senior at East and a former Rayen School student. She is treasurer of SADD and a member of Student Advisory Board, Mahoning-Columbiana Training Association and Promoting Student Intelligence. She plans to attend North Carolina Central University and major in communications and public relations.

Littke, 17, is a former Wilson student and now a senior at East. She is president of Future Business Leaders of America, editor-in-chief of the Panther Pride student newspaper, designer and creator of the East High School Web site and a member of the Vocal Ensemble and Promoting Student Intelligence. She plans to study business management as well as arts and communication.

gwin@vindy.com