Seven new members to join Saratoga Youth Commission
Newcomers will join veterans in August
By Kate Carter
Seven new young members will join eight veterans when the Saratoga Youth Commission meets again in August. One of those veteran members returns for a second term.
The commission serves as the city's liaison to the teenage community as well as plans entertainment and educational activities, raises funds and performs community service. All its members represent middle and high schools attended by Saratoga youth.
"It's a good network of kids who are positive role models in the community," said Taffy Lowery, commission advisor. She added that the council filled seven vacancies with eight youths because there were so many qualified candidates.
The city council held five-minute interviews with the 26 candidates before its May 15 meeting, then later chose Kelly Burke, Shruti Jayakumar, Joanna Lee, Tami Maltiel, Ted Sclavos, Connor Skelly and Deborah Wu to fill the vacancies by those whose terms have expired or who are graduating. They also selected James Ballingall to serve another two-year term.
New commissioners include students from Saratoga High School--Lee (a junior in the fall), Ballingall and Jayakumar (both sophomores), and Burke (a freshman); Miller Middle School--Maltiel (an eighth-grader); Redwood Middle School--Sclavos (a seventh-grader) and Skelly (an eighth-grader); and Lynbrook High School--Wu (a sophomore).
The new commissioners will be sworn in at the June 5 city council meeting.
They replace outgoing commissioners James Atkins, who is graduating from Saratoga High; Rami El-Diwany of Prospect; Valerie Farnum of Saratoga High; Abhik Pramanik, who is graduating from Lynbrook; Christina Siadat of Presentation High School in San Jose; and Darrell Wu, who is graduating from Lynbrook.
Continuing commissioners are Michael Byrne, an eighth-grader at Redwood; Phillip Baker, an eighth-grader at Miller; Andy Miller, a freshman at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose; Elise Schwartz, a freshman at Saratoga High; Elliot Onn, a sophomore at Saratoga; Jackie Luskey, a junior at Saratoga High; and Ross Levin, a senior at Prospect.
Commissioners are required to commit to 10 hours each month of commission work and serve on two committees. They must also recruit other youth for participation in commission committees and activities and serve as a liaison with their schools' administrators and student leaderships.
The commission meets the second Tuesday of each month, August through May, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Warner Hutton House. For more information, contact Lowery by telephone, 408.868.1272, or email, tlowery@saratoga.ca.us.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
