Two Helena teens have stepped up to the task of representing their high schools at the school board.
At the June meeting of the Helena School Board, Hannah Muszkiewicz and Zyanne Cervantes were sworn in as student representatives for Helena High School and Capital High School respectively. The two seniors will serve as the student voice on the school board until they graduate in May.
Muszkiewicz started her school career in Helena when her family moved back to town a few years ago. Her first year truly attending school in the district was freshman year of high school. Ever since her freshman year, Muszkiewicz has been part of the school's speech and debate team. This led to her feeling very strongly in her beliefs and wanting to advocate for them.
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"This seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring attention to issues that I see in school," Muszkiewicz said of serving on the board.
Muszkiewicz's primary goal in her position is to bring the need for mental health awareness to the school board. She said her school suffered a loss to suicide during her freshman year and it left a major impact on her and the school. Debunking the stigma and bolstering resources around mental health are some of her primary goals.
Cervantes and her mother moved to Townsend around the time she started kindergarten. In eighth grade, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona. During the latter half of her sophomore year of high school, Cervantes moved back to Townsend. However, Broadwater High School didn't offer the same level of advanced placement courses Cervantes had become accustomed to. The counselors agreed that she would fall behind at Broadwater High. So she decided to enroll at Capital High.
Every day Cervantes drives to CHS from Townsend to further her education. Cervantes said it's not uncommon for her to find herself in a leadership role like this board appointment.
"I'm really into leadership roles," Cervantes said. "I've always fell into them whether purposeful or not."
Throughout her education, Cervantes has found herself leading in other activities such as tennis or model United Nations. When a teacher mentioned to her that CHS needed a new student rep, Cervantes immediately thought of it as a way to improve the things that students and teachers want to see changed.
Cervantes outlined a number of quality of life changes that she hopes to bring attention to. These include things that don't stand out, but impact day-to-day activities. Two things Cervantes mentioned was overall cleanliness of the school and dispensers for feminine products in the women's restroom, rather than being distributed in highly public areas.
While Cervantes said she agrees with Muszkiewicz and her goals, she can't speak to huge issues like mental health due to only having spent one full year at Capital.
These two students are also very busy outside of their roles as board representatives.
Muszkiewicz is the captain of Helena High's speech and debate team, a member of leadership council and works for an after school program in East Helena. Additionally, Muszkiewicz is very active politically. She is a member of Helena Youth Against Gun Violence and testified in support of a bill last legislative session. She also plays soccer.
Cervantes is a member of the CHS speech and debate team, focusing on legislative debate. She works on her family's ranch and is a member of 4-H. Recently, Cervantes stared a female empowerment club at Capital High. She hopes to lead the club in an effort to renew the women's mural in downtown Helena. She said the group is also actively looking for more volunteer opportunities. Additionally, Cervantes has interned at a law firm and participated in a mock trial.