- January 9, 2025
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Should teachers stay after school to give extra help, even if they’re not paid for it? Is college right for everyone?
Flagler County Student School Board members for 2024-25 — Jeh-Hanni Strong of Matanzas High School and Dani Nieves of Flagler Palm Coast High School — bring a unique perspective to these questions and others. They spoke to the Observer last month about the opportunity they have as student representatives on the board, leading Teen Town Halls, and how they juggle their school work and many extracurricular activities.
How did you learn about the opportunity of becoming Student School Board members?
Dani Nieves: I knew (FPC's previous) School Board representative (Brendan Wang). He actually told me a lot about it, because he knew that it would be something I’m interested in, learning to put myself out there and speak in front of people and be more educated about School Board stuff.
Jeh-Hanni Strong: I was a freshman at Seabreeze High School. When I came over here, the (Matanzas) board liaison two years ago (Isabella Tietje) was on the swim team with me and it kind of sounded interesting. But it was not until last year when I got a little bit more firsthand account on what it was like to be a board representative, and I was like, yes this is 100% what I want to do, especially because I want to go into politics. This is an amazing opportunity to get that taste of what it's like to really advocate for the students, and I already had a pretty big voice, not just volume-wise, but with a lot of groups at my high school, and I thought this is a very great role to not only get to the students but to get to those adults, make those changes happen and take that action.
So far, has it been what you expected?
Dani Nieves: Better than I expected. Actually, there are a lot of opportunities that come along with it such as this. We spoke on the radio as well. We've done some interviews. So definitely a lot of opportunities in getting to know some of the important people for our county that I didn't really know that much about before.
Jeh-Hanni Strong: It's definitely a little bit more than what I had expected. You always have those expectations and rules and regulations that you want to follow, but it's really different when you're put in that position. It's hey, this is what they expect of me, this is what I'm going to do and I think we've been really grateful and lucky to have the opportunity to talk to (School Board member) Dr. Conklin before she retired (in November). So we got the experience (interviewing) her, we got on the radio station, we've inducted three new board members. So it's really been a great experience. Dr. Conklin was on the board for 24 years, and us being the last ones to ever have that experience with her on the board, that's really been a dream come true.
What is it like leading the Virtual Teen Town Halls?
Dani Nives: Those are even better than the School Board meetings. The first one we had a lot of people, a lot of participation. The second one, I think, slowed down a bit, so just making sure we're advertising that, but when we do get a lot of people and they are participating, it's a lot of fun, and it's really great to hear what the high schoolers have to say.
Jeh-Hanni Strong: I agree, and I think it's very important to also have that good relationship with the opposing board liaison, because you always want to make sure that you have that communication. I can't imagine what it would be like if we didn't get along, because you really want to make sure we're on the same page and we're not taking anyone's spotlight. Really, communication is key and I know that's kind of cliche to say, but especially when it comes to board meetings you want to make sure you don't say the wrong thing.
How do you organize the town halls?
Dani Nieves: We usually call about an hour before the Teen Town Hall, figure out what kind of questions we’re going to ask, topics we’re going to go over, so we’re not speaking over each other. We divide up equally, like Jeh-Hanni is saying, no one is stealing the spotlight.
Jeh-Hanni Strong: Because at the end of the day, these Virtual Teen Town Halls aren't for us to be like, this is our time to shine. This is our time to shine in telling other students what we're doing and inviting them to speak with other people who are professionals, such as our very first one we had VyStar come and speak to our students. After that, it was FPC’s CmPS (Community Problem Solving) group.
Dani Nieves: So it's really just very educational for our students and those adults who want to participate too, and those middle schoolers to really get a taste of what it's like when you enter high school. Each (virtual town hall) will have a different topic, and then within that, Jeh-Hanni and I will kind of expand on what we want to go over.
Both of you seem to be enthusiastic, maybe even more so than some of the recent Student School Board members of the past, to take part in board discussions, offering your opinions.
Jeh-Hanni Strong: What I like to do is look at previous (School Board) videos. And I also get perspective from my principal and other administrators who say this is what we want to do and we're hoping that you can advocate for us. And one of my things that I was stating when I was being selected was I just want to be an advocate for those students who are afraid to speak up, for those adults who have ideas but can't necessarily get them across. I'm here to not just sit on the board and just be like, hey I'm here to look pretty. No, I'm here to get things done. And that’s kind of what it is to be a board liaison, in my opinion, to get those things in action and move forward.
Dani Nieves: And even when you're not speaking, just having someone that knows what's going on and being able to relay that back to other students at my school is definitely important, so you have to be attentive, because you were picked for this role for a reason and you don't want to give up and disappoint other students.
What issues would you like to see the School Board tackle this year?
Dani Nieves: One thing I will say, which is pretty big in my school is a lot of teachers don't stay after school because they're having issues getting paid to stay after school. And it's affecting a lot of students who did rely on tutoring to help keep their grades up. And personally, in one of my clubs we're going through some issues finding an advisor, because no teacher wants to stay after school for free, and obviously I can't blame them for that. Also, sometimes there are issues I’m not aware of that I will hear at the School Board meetings, and I say, wow maybe I need to be more conscious (of the issues).
Jeh-Hanni Strong:
For me, it would really be expanding those programs, not just within the high school, but outside after we graduate, I know that there's a lot of students who feel like after high school, they have to go to college, they have to go to university and they don't really have that motivation, but you don't necessarily need a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate degree to be considered successful in this world. We have a lot of technical programs, not just in Flagler County but around the country, internationally as well. And so I really want those students to be aware of that. We do have FTC, we have those technical, those technological programs and certifications that are available, and they are really awesome opportunities. And I would say also, artificial intelligence. I think not just for students, but for teachers it's been a huge thing, especially this year. When it comes to exams, you kind of need to know your material. But when it comes to study sessions, I do think it's a beneficial thing. When you can just go on to something and ask what does this mean? How can this help me learn quicker? So something with AI in terms of making it more equitable for both our students and teachers.
With school, applying to colleges and all of the extracurricular activities you are both involved in, how do you find time for everything?
Dani Nieves: Time management. I have a calendar. I have a planner. I have all of that, and it's just prioritizing what needs to be done first, and staying on top of that. If you don't have the motivation to get what you need to get done, if you don't have goals that you're setting for yourself, you won't be able to juggle anything. But if you want your goals in life, like I know what I want for my future and I'm going to make that happen no matter what. I want to be a nuclear engineer in the Navy. And I actually just got awarded a full-ride Navy scholarship to go do that at my college of choice — that's MIT, where I've applied, but I have my top five choices — the best engineering program that I can get into would be best for me. So that is something that I really want for myself. So I'm going to have to make sure that I get that done and anything I need to do on my way there.
Jeh-Hanni Strong: Yes, for me my planner is my best friend. I have this planner that I carry around with me and I really kind of write down what I have to do. I am a little bit more old school. I just find that if I write it, it'll stick in my brain. My hand kind of hurts after, but at the end of the day it's beneficial, and that's how I make sure that I'm on task and I don't forget an assignment. But it all comes down to balance. You want to make sure that you achieve those goals and you make sure you want to be as successful as possible. But there also comes a balance. You want to make sure that you have time for yourself. Give yourself some grace, because it’s not the end of the world. Like Dani said, if you want it bad enough, you’re going to get it.
