North Hills students appointed as local Junior Commissioners

The Ross Township Board of Commissioners and West View Council have renewed the practice of appointing North Hills School District student liaisons to attend Township meetings. Stanley Marciniak III, Ross, and Madison Hintemeyer, West View, have recently been sworn in as Junior Commissioners for their respective areas.

The main function of the Junior Commissioner program, as Stan puts it, is it “reminds them we are here.” Their job description includes going to one or two meetings a month and representing the interests and perspective of North Hills students. At every meeting, Marciniak and Hintemeyer give reports on the achievements and upcoming events in the school district.

Though this practice has been used in the past in Ross, Hintemeyer became West View’s first Junior Commissioner on April 10. The junior has said that she has been welcomed warmly, even to the extent of being invited to the groundbreaking for the $550,000 irrigation rainstorm in the borough. She and Marciniak were chosen by the school district in the earlier part of the 2014 calendar year for their involvement in the Law & Government Academy, grades, and interview performance.

Both Commissioners are hoping to gain political experience from their endeavors in the local government. Marciniak also cited playing a larger role in the community as an incentive. “The biggest benefit is being part of the proceedings in our community,” he says. Although their job description does not include actual legislation and is limited to reporting on the happenings of the school district, they do occasionally get to give their input.