Graduated Senior Finishing Her Term as Greendale Student Board Member

After almost two years of service to the Greendale Board of Education graduated student board member Carrie Staats says her goodbyes as she moves on.

Staats began serving on the board as a junior in October 2009. Now she is nearing the completion of her term.

The board presented her a certificate of completion on Monday night.

Staats will enter the University of Wisconsin Madison this fall and will be majoring psychology.  Staats will going into college with an impressive resume that includes marching band, choir, leading anti-tobacco initiatives, tennis, soccer, volunteer work and barrista at Broad Street Coffee.

"One of the biggest things is that I really learned how parliamentary procedure works...and how policies have to go through the local level," said Staats about her time on the school board. "I think sometimes they (school board members) don't see how their decisions affect the students so having a student telling them that 'this isn't going to work benefits everyone.'"

School board president Tom Slota told Staats that she carried the board's messages to the students very well and was impressed with her willingness to share her opinion.

Staats advises future school board student members to voice their opinion and not to  be afraid to share that opinion "because in the end you're representing the students."