Student Member of the California State Board of Education Proposes - and Gets - Board Endorsement of CHPS

For immediate release
Please contact: Ariel Dekovic, 415-970-6604, ariel@chps.net

November 6, 2008 (San Francisco) - “Be it RESOLVED, that the California State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction encourage districts to incorporate CHPS building standards into their construction plans and to execute their operational plans in accordance with CHPS Criteria…”

In July 2008, high school student Monica Stephany Liu was serving as a full-voting member to the California Board of Education when she wrote a resolution encouraging school districts to incorporate CHPS building standards into design, building, maintenance and operation of California’s schools. The resolution, a response to students’ request that schools become more environmentally friendly, was supported by Board president Ted Mitchell and Superintendent Jack O’Connell and passed unanimously in July 2008. Click here to view the resolution. Currently a freshman at Harvard University, Ms. Liu was generously took time from her studies for midterm exams to answer our questions.

CHPS: How did you become involved/get appointed to the CA State Board of Education?

MSL: Every year, Governor Schwarzenegger appoints one student to the California State Board of Education. That student serves as a full-voting board member whose specific charge, in addition to regular Board duties, is to represent the interests and concerns of the 6.3 million students in California. I was nominated by my school to apply for the position and was appointed after a paper application process, a student election, an interview with the State Board's screening committee, and another interview with the Governor's senior staff.

CHPS: The resolution passed unanimously by Board members present at the July meeting. Did you receive support from your fellow Board members when developing the CHPS resolution?

MSL: After the resolution was drafted, it was circulated among the three members of the subcommittee (Yvonne Chan, Ken Noonan and David Lopez) for final approval. Board president Mitchell, the executive director of the Board, and CA Department of Education staff were also extremely generous with their time, advice, and support.

CHPS: What are you studying at Harvard? What are your plans for the future?

MSL: I am taking courses in molecular biology, differential equations, microeconomics, and Supreme Court history. I plan to major in Neurobiology and hope to attend law school in the future. Since my year at the Board was so enlightening and inspiring, I imagine that I will probably always have a passion for education and a desire to stay involved with the public school system.

We appreciate the time that Ms. Liu’s efforts to advance our mission to provide green, healthy, high performance schools for all students. We wish Monica the best in her studies and know she has a bright future ahead!

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