Red Clay is thrilled to welcome its first group of student representatives to the school board. As part of a broader effort to elevate student voice throughout the school system, district staff worked with school leaders to identify seven student representatives for the 2021-22 school year.

"Student voice is something we stand on here in Red Clay, and what more fitting way than to have a student not only seated at the table with the board but continuing to engage with leadership throughout the district," said Superintendent Dorrell Green as he introduced Eileena Mathews at the July 7, 2021 school board meeting.

Mathews, a rising senior who enrolled in Alexis I. du Pont High School via Delaware's school choice program, said she looks forward to having the opportunity to be on the board and share the unique insights of a student. "As we've seen in this past year with the pandemic...now more than ever, student voices are important," she said.

Last December, the school board adopted a new policy to both encourage student involvement and promote a communications link between the school board and the students of the district by authorizing a student representative to serve on the school board as a non-voting member. The school board believes that the views, insights, and suggestions of a student representative on the school board can be an advantage to the school board in its decision-making role regarding educational policies and programs.

The seven-member student council will rotate monthly and designate a representative to attend regularly scheduled school board meetings while school is in session. Each student council member will serve as the representative to the board at least once per school year. The student council may also appoint a student representative to serve on any standing board committee.

Congratulations to these student representatives!

• Defne Elbeyli will represent The Charter School of Wilmington.
• Cyan Gorham will represent Thomas McKean High School.
• Josh Gutzmirtl will represent Delaware Military Academy.
• Lillian Hill will represent The John Dickinson School.
• Maya Levine will represent Cab Calloway School of the Arts.
• Eileena Mathews will represent Alexis I. du Pont High School.
• Benjamin Williamson will represent Conrad Schools of Science.