Leaders of the Salem-Keizer School District had been meeting for over an hour when Sofia Castellanos made her first suggestion. After board members shared recent events they’d attended in the community, Castellanos, a senior at South Salem High School, asked school leaders to reconsider their ban on air horns and other loud items during graduation ceremonies. “It’s like 15 seconds of cheering. I think you can suck it up for four years of learning,” she said during the Aug. 13 meeting. Board Chair Cynthia Richardson, a retired administrator and former principal of North and McKay high schools, signaled she didn’t agree. “Sofia, I’ll talk to you offline about graduations. I was a high school principal for 14 years. We’ll talk about it, okay?” Richardson said with a smile, prompting chuckles as the meeting closed out. It’s the sort of suggestion only a student would raise. Castellanos and Kaiden Armstead, a senior at McKay High School, are the two student advisers to the Salem-Keizer School Board this year. They serve as non-voting members of the board, elevating student concerns and opinions to the decision-makers who guide the education of 35,000 local students. It’s the fifth year the board has had an adviser position. The board appointed its first adviser, McKay senior Leanette Mabinton, in early 2021. Since the 2022-23 school year, a pair of students, typically seniors, have held the role. Students must first serve on the superintendent’s student advisory committee to be eligible. The board selected Castellanos and Armstead from among five student applicants in June. They’ll serve the full school year. Both said they see their job as two-way communication: bringing student opinions to the board to inform their decisions, while also helping their classmates understand what’s happening and how to make their voices heard. “There’s a lot of students who are very opinionated, have their own thoughts and ideas they want to share to school administrators … they don’t know how or who to talk to,” Armstead said. Sofia Castellanos Sofia Castellanos, a senior at South, is one of the 2024-25 student advisers to the Salem-Keizer School Board. (Courtesy/Salem-Keizer School District) Castellanos, 17, began her schooling in Salem at Pringle Elementary School in first grade after her family moved to the area from Coahuila, Mexico. As a freshman at South, she joined a variety of clubs and got involved in student leadership. She was soon appointed to the school’s equity committee and then nominated to serve on the superintendent’s student advisory committee. “I’ve always been really passionate about student involvement,” she said. In January, she joined with friends to put on a student forum as the district’s teacher and classified unions were in the midst of contentious contract negotiations. The event was run entirely by South juniors, who shared information and concerns about class sizes and teachers having adequate preparation time. Castellanos said she’s starting the year “trying to educate myself on what the board is saying so I can actually comment on it.” She said previous student advisers told her and Armstead that they regret not speaking up more and encouraged them to weigh in on discussions in the boardroom. “There’s a lot of miscommunication that happens between the school district or the board and the students, or even the rest of the community,” Castellanos said. Her goal is “helping a little with that, even if it’s just my small community of people that I talk to.” Kaiden Armstead Kaiden Armstead, a senior at McKay, is one of the 2024-25 student advisers to the Salem-Keizer School Board. (Courtesy/Salem-Keizer School District) Armstead, 17, said he hopes to bring positive change through the adviser role. He’s been involved in McKay’s student advisory group and worked last year with peers to create a form where students can submit thoughts and feedback on what’s happening in the district’s largest school. One key issue students have raised is the school bathrooms often being closed due to graffiti or vandalism, “which makes sense looking from a logistical side … but I know a lot of my peers are very frustrated with that,” Armstead said. Armstead is also involved in McKay’s Scots-Appella vocal ensemble, which took third place nationally last school year, and serves on a city of Salem youth committee that helps plan an annual teen leadership summit. Armstead said the district’s budget and resulting cuts are a top issue he’s concerned about, along with student mental health. “We’re not in the same budget situation as we were last year but I know there’s going to be difficulties this year,” he said. After attending his first meetings, he said he hopes more of his peers will let the board know their concerns. “Already on my time on the board, it’s very clear that the board and district take the opinions of our youth extremely seriously,” he said in an email. “I strongly urge students to step forward and speak out about important topics that are relevant to their lives. Their voices matter so much more than is often recognized.” Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. 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