New youth commissioners sizing up their civic duties
Oaths of office are administered
By Steve Enders
Elliott Onn, a seventh-grader at Redwood Middle School, looked ready to do business, even before the Saratoga City Council swore in nine new youth commissioners earlier this summer. Dressed in a business suit and tie and carrying a folder of documents, Onn stepped on the stage, along with eight other middle and high schoolers, who took their oaths of office.
Like other commissioners, they promised to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution and to defend the laws of the state of California. In Saratoga, the Youth Commission is afforded the same status as other commissions. And commissioners are expected to approach the job with the same degree of commitment.
Luckily, they won't have to do much Constitution-defending.
Rather, they'll be setting their own agendas on issues concerning their peers--issues like building skateboard parks, monitoring the activities at the Warner Hutton House and arranging youth dances.
They'll begin in early July, to meet each other and start setting some goals to accomplish over the coming year.
Then they'll advise the City Council on how the city should spend its money relating to youth and student activities.
This year, the seats of nine youth commissioners were up for grabs, and the city received a slew of applications for the vacant posts. After lengthy interviews with the candidates, the City Council selected the new group, bringing the total to 13, again making it the city's largest commission. The council had briefly considered whittling the commission down in size, but decided against it.
New commissioners include James Atkin, Lee Blair, Kristi Kirwan, Jennie Levin, Abhik Pramanik, Mieka Sywak, Elliott Onn, and Jackie Luskey. Sheeva Ghassemi was reappointed to her seat. The terms last for two years except for Kirwan's, who will be a senior in high school.
This year, the City Council offered a challenge to city Parks and Recreation leaders: recruit youth commissioners and involve students from other schools besides those attending Saratoga's public schools.
Approximately 1,800 students live in Saratoga but attend schools outside of the city's namesake districts and instead attend school in the Campbell Union School District, the Campbell Union High School District and the Fremont Union High School District, to name just a few.
Over the past few years, a majority of youth commissioners have been from Redwood Middle and Saratoga High schools; there were also three commissioners from Bellarmine College Preparatory.
Even though the commission is still dominated by Saratoga schools, the city did make an effort to gain representation from other schools, according to Parks and Recreation Director Joan Pisani.
"We always get information to all the schools, and this year we ended up getting a diverse group," Pisani said, adding that it's always been the choice of City Council members to pick students they feel are right for the job, rather than looking at where they're from.
Kirwan, 16, who attends Mitty High School, said she wants to get more kids from the area's private schools, as well as other public schools, involved in community activities. "I've never really been in Saratoga's schools," she said, "so that should add some spice to [the commission]."
Kirwan said she's looking forward to serving with her peers, and that she didn't go for it this year just to get it on a college application. She was much too busy in her junior year, in class and with extra-curricular activities, to be involved in such a group.
"I wanted to dedicate all my time to it," she said, adding that she's now got some time on her hands, and looks forward to helping organize dances and a Safe Rides program at Mitty and other high schools.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
