Student Advisory Board meeting update

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Student Advisory Board Student Government Association February 14th, 2024

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Student (MSBSD) Advisory Board / Student Government Association, informally referred to as SAB, serves as an advisory board to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District School Board. Monthly, student representatives from each secondary school in the district come together to discuss issues and contribute to educational decisions.

The SAB meeting held on February 14th 2024 at Career Technical High School was very successful. Students from American Charter, Birch Tree, Career Tech, Colony High, Fronteras, Houston High, Mat-Su Central, Mat-Su Middle College, Palmer High, Palmer Junior Middle, Su-Valley Jr/Sr, Teeland Middle, Wasilla High, and Wasilla Middle were in attendance and gave school reports on current issues and events. Student Advisory Board Representative, Ben Kolendo then gave a SABR/ MSBSD School Board/Administration report . The representative body then discussed constitutional amendments and approved policies 2550 and 2551. The representative body then proceeded to break out into their respective committees, current committees are as follows: Special Issues, Community Outreach, and Fundraising.

Committees discussed a prospective fundraiser and their roles in making it efficacious towards the intended goal of building community throughout the district and raising funds for SAB. Student Advisory Board President, Quinlen Schachle, then shared plans for a SAB In-School Campaign that will take place in every secondary school throughout the district. The objective of the campaign is to bring more positive student attention to the Student Advisory Board organization, its purpose, and how students themselves can get involved and help create beneficial change in their schools. Schachle also made an announcement for the Mat-Su Youth Mental & Behavioral Health Task Force to encourage SAB members to attend the meetings to gain more awareness and provide input from a different perspective.

The next meeting is set for Wednesday March 20th at Colony High School, and meetings last from 10:30-12:30. The SAB aims to ensure all student voices are heard, working towards positive changes in schools across the district. For more information, visit the MSBSD Student Advisory Board Instagram or website. Contact the Student Advisory Board Representative, Ben Kolendo, at 907-268-9946 or ben.kolendo@gmail.com for questions or inquiries.

Rianne Rowe, MSBSD SAB/SGA Public Relations Officer, on behalf of Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Students Advisory Board Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Student Government Association.