OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Fredonia student board member Lacey Drennen, middle, was introduced at a recent Board of Education meeting. She is pictured with her parents, Denver and Lynn Drennen, along with Board of Education President Brian Aldrich, left end, and Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox, right end.

At the beginning of nearly every Fredonia Board of Education meeting, President Brian Aldrich calls forward a student from the audience to lead the pledge of allegiance. At its completion, the student then walks back to their seat, often with a candy bar gifted by Aldrich in hand.

Aldrich honors this tradition to send the message that first and foremost, the Board serves the students of Fredonia.

Moving forward, while one student walks back to their seat, another will sit amongst the Board members to ensure that student perspectives are not only considered, but also represented.

Lacey Drennen, a Fredonia High School senior, was introduced as the selection for the district’s first Student Board Member seat. Drennen attended the most recent meeting with her parents, Lynn and Denver Drennen, despite dangerous travel conditions that forced the cancellation of all other after school activities that evening aside from the meeting.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this new student representative position we are putting in place,” Drennen said.

After voters approved the Student Board Member position at the last budget vote, the district chose from a pool of six candidates to serve in the role. Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox said, “We really felt that any one of the six could have served in this role.”

In the end, Drennen was the choice. Zilliox noted she is “well-rounded” in her activities and interests. A true student-athlete, Drennen is a member of the National Honor Society, while currently serving as a manager for the wrestling program and also playing for the girls flag football team last spring. Zilliox noted that Drennen spoke of her desire to become more involved in the district, “recognizing the importance of student voice within what happens in our district,” along with an interest in how the Board of Education operates. Drennen has attended Fredonia schools since she was in fourth grade.

“She absolutely has her own thoughts, opinions, and point of view,” Zilliox said, noting that was clear in the interview process. He added, “She also was able to balance that out by recognizing that in her role here, she most of the time would be representing others and really looking at the greater good.”

Zilliox noted Drennen spoke about using surveys to gather feedback from the student body to provide specific data as a reference point for the Board on a given topic. Drennen will have a seat at the table for the next meeting of the Board of Education on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

“We look forward to her joining us next Tuesday,” Zilliox said.