Whitworth, Finley on student board

LAKE COUNTY – The Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction selected Polson High School junior Alyssa Whitworth, and Two Eagle River School junior, Jerome Finley as members of the statewide Student Advisory Board.

Supt. Denise Juneau said Whitworth and Finley are two of 31 new members statewide. The 2014-15 board consists of 39 high school students from 34 Montana schools, according to a press release.

Local schools and community members nominated Student Advisory Board members and Juneau personally reviewed each application to insure she had students with a wide set of experiences as part of the statewide Graduation Matters Montana program.

Graduation Matters is designed to increase the percentage of students who graduate from high school prepared for college and careers.

ALYSSA WHITWORTH

PHS Guidance Counselor Emily Johnson nominated Whitworth.

“She asked me to nominate her. She wanted to be on the board,” Johnson said. “Juneau wants a broad spectrum of kids. Kids that high school might not be really easy for.”

Whitworth, a Tribal Member, is passionate about helping her people succeed.

“When Alyssa first came here she was not a stellar student,” Johnson said. “Some Native Americans students are often not focused on school and she saw that in some of her friends. But something clicked when her brother (Cole) got sick. Since then she’s worked hard to graduate early.”

Whitworth expects to  graduate in January 2015.

“(The board) interested me because Juneau is a Native American and she and I want to encourage them to overcome obstacles,” Whitworth said. “I want to see If I can help build up their confidence rather than just going along with those stereotypes.”

Whitworth’s younger brother, Cole was afflicted with a life-threatening disease but has recovered and was scheduled to attend a Bruno Mars concert Monday in California with his family courtesy of the Make A Wish Foundation.

JEROME FINLEY

Two Eagle River School educators describe Finley as, “respectful, thoughtful, empathetic, benevolent and sincere.”

Finley helps struggling students and is setting goals for his future.

“Jerome is a wonderful role model for our students,” said school officials in a statement. “He has the admiration and respect of our entire school community.”

“I’m really excited to welcome these new members to the Student Advisory Board,” Juneau said in a statement. “The unique perspective each student brings to the board is extremely valuable as we work community by community to improve the graduation rate and educational opportunities for all students.”

The first meeting of the Student Advisory Board is Oct. 9 and 10 in Helena.

The Graduation Matters Montana website address is http://gmm.mt.gov/sab.html.