Sanchez, Seaton chosen as Natalia ISD Board student representatives

Natalia ISD student representatives Samantha Sanchez and Priscilla Seaton are pictured with Superintendent Dr. Hensley Cone, left, and Board members Andrew Besa and Eric Smith.

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, Natalia High School students Samantha Sanchez and Priscilla Seaton will be the first student representatives to the NISD School Board.
“Through an application and interview process, we have chosen an upcoming 11th grade student, Samantha Sanchez, and 12th grade student, Priscilla Seaton,” NISD Superintendent Dr. Hensley Cone said. “We welcome them to our team and look forward to the perspective and insight they can provide to help us make better decisions.”
The students will help form Leadership Advisory Councils at both the high school and junior high, organize campus groups to give presentations to the Board each month, and be seated with Board members during meetings.
Sanchez and Seaton will not have a vote on action items, though they will have the opportunity to voice their opinions.
They will not be part of Executive Sessions.
“I’m very ecstatic to be part of the student school board because it is the first year Natalia has opened up these positions,” Seaton said. “I have been given the chance to be a voice for my fellow peers…We are going to accomplish great things this year for Natalia ISD.”
Sanchez was just as enthusiastic.
“I am very grateful and excited to start working as a student representative along the Board of Trustees here in Natalia,” Sanchez said. “It is an honor to be the first student to be a part of the school board. Being that this is the first year, I hope that many students down the road follow in our footsteps. Priscilla and I hope to be a voice for all students here at Natalia ISD.”
While at the Winter Governance and Legal Seminar in Corpus Christi March 2-4, NISD Board President Eric Smith attended a program on student School Board representatives hosted by Marion ISD, and learned about Marion’s Student Advisory Council that meets with a Board committee to provide student feedback on issues under consideration.
Rather than a Student Advisory Council, the NISD Board opted to have two student representatives to relay student concerns and opinions. Sanchez and Seaton were among a handful of students who applied for the positions, and were chosen after being interviewed by Cone and Smith.
“This was a goal of mine once I attended the class in Corpus,” Smith said. “I’m really excited to get this program up and going, and I believe it will be a huge asset to the Board, the campuses, and the District as a whole.
“We picked two great ladies.”
Board members Eric Owens and Fernando Garza, NHS principal Dr. Jane Harris, and NHS counselor Brigitte Wardwell were also instrumental in the selection process.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer