THUNDER BAY – Local public school students have a new voice of representation on the Lakehead District School Board.
Hammarskjold High School student Jesslynn Friday was appointed as Indigenous student trustee for the 2021-2022 school year at a board of trustees meeting on Tuesday.
The Indigenous student trustee, a role first created in 2019, is a non-voting position that provides representation for all students in the board.
Nearly 22 per cent of the board's roughly 9,000 elementary and secondary students self-identify as First Nations, Metis, or Inuit.
The board also has a second student trustee position, currently filled by Superior CVI student Mehar Mago.
In a statement, the board welcomed the appointment, saying Friday’s history of school and community involvement would make her a valuable addition.
Friday has worked as a student mentor in the Reach Ahead Family Studies Program and previously served on Hammarskjold’s Student Indigenous Council (FIRE Council), along with community involvement with organizations like the Thunder Bay Public Library, Carpenter's Union, Roseview Manor Long Term Care, and Roots to Harvest.
