North Penn student leaders tell peers civic service builds skills and influence

Superintendent Todd Bauer hosted five student leaders from North Penn SD on a March 20 Facebook Live to discuss why they serve on district and local boards, what they have learned and what advice they would give peers thinking about civic service.

The students — Audrey, a junior and student representative on the facilities and operations committee; Amina, a policy committee student representative and Muslim Student Association ambassador; Sreejani, a policy committee representative and Enact Club vice president; Robelle, a finance committee representative and SGA senator; and Anna, a junior council person for Lansdale Borough Council — described committee work as a practical way to affect school decisions and develop transferable skills.

"I can make suggestions about what students are saying about what we can put money to and things like that," Robelle said, describing why she joined the finance committee. Audrey said serving on the facilities and operations committee let her see how board decisions about renovations quickly translate into changes in the school: "It's pretty cool to see how something decided in the board just gets transferred and is happening..."

Students said committee work forced them to engage with technical documents and meeting procedure. "I'll be reading over the agenda sometimes, and the language of the policy can get kind of confusing," Sreejani said. "I might have to look things up, but it's been really valuable... because when policies are implemented... I will be there to physically see the benefits."

Several panelists described how committee service connects to post–high school plans. Audrey said she is interested in textile engineering and sustainable clothing recycling; Sreejani said she wants to bring sustainability to computing and AI systems; Amina said she plans to study economics and described the Muslim Financial Initiative she started to teach finance in religious spaces; Anna said she hopes to pursue education; and Robelle said she is considering history and law, with an eye toward public service.

When Bauer asked what advice they would give peers, the students emphasized commitment and the opportunity to gain perspective. "It's a really cool experience," Sreejani said. Anna encouraged peers to serve if they can make the time, noting meetings can last 1.5 to 3 hours, and Audrey said the work builds confidence and professional skills.

Bauer closed by thanking the students and sharing supportive Facebook comments from community members. He said the students will host the next month's session. The session ran about 24 minutes and did not include formal board actions or votes.

Clarifying note: the transcript contains multiple inconsistent spellings of one student's name (examples: Sreejani, Srijani, Surjani, Sruthani); this article uses the spelling "Sreejani" for consistency after first appearance in the session.

The district did not take any formal votes during the broadcast; no ordinances, resolutions or motions were recorded in the session.