Walt Whitman HS Senior Named Student Member Of Board Of Education

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — Jaren Smullian, a senior at Walt Whitman High School, was unanimously approved to serve as the ex-officio student member of the South Huntington Board of Education for the 2023-2024 school year, the school district announced. Board members approved him on Sept. 6.

Smullian was instrumental in getting South Huntington to put an ex-officio student member on its school board, the district wrote. It was a project he began working on when he started ninth grade at Walt Whitman, with help from his uncle, who is a deputy mayor in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.

"[My uncle] went to a [school] board meeting there and noticed that there was a student representative on that board," Smullian said. "So he called me up one day and he said, 'Jaren, I think you'd be perfect for this position. Does your district have it?' I said, 'No, it doesn't.' He said, 'Alright, let's see what the law is, and let's craft an email to send it to the board and superintendent to see if we can get this done.'"

New York state law requires that the question of allowing an ex-officio student member has to be put to the voters. Not long after sending his emails, Smullian got a response from the school board letting him know the proposition would be included in the next budget vote. The voters passed it. But Smullian was too young to apply because the ex-officio student member has to be a senior.

After a thorough application and interview process, Smullian is the third Whitman senior to serve as ex-officio student board member. Although he is not allowed to vote on issues put before the school board, Smullian promised he’ll be very comfortable letting veteran school board members know when students think something is not working.

"The school district is here for the students," Smullian said. "So by adding this ex-officio member, it gives the board a closer opportunity to look into what the students want, need and like, and maybe dislike."

School Board President Nicholas Ciappetta said he knows Smullian will provide important insight and perspective to the board.

"We’re proud to have him as this year’s ex-officio student member of the Board of Education," Ciappetta said.

Smullian is going to have to fit this new responsibility into an already busy extracurricular schedule that includes several Honor Societies, Virtual Enterprise, Student Council, Student Bookstore Supervisor, the Walt Whitman Drama Club, and Suffolk County Youth Council.

He sees both law school and politics possibly in his future.

"I think my future aspirations include maybe not just state government, but maybe national government and maybe even being a senator," Smullian said.