Two energetic and involved young leaders were selected as the next student representatives to the Community Consolidated School District 89 Board of Education. Glen Crest Middle School eighth-grade students Olivia Loftsgaarden and Skylar Usalis will begin their one-year term at the August 18 Board of Education meeting.
“We were so impressed during the interview process with all the candidates,” said CCSD 89 superintendent Doug Eccarius. “I’m very excited to work with Olivia and Skylar next year. I know they will represent our entire student body in a very positive way. Their hard work and passion for supporting others will serve them and the district well.”
Loftsgaarden and Usalis will represent their classmates at monthly Board meetings. Student Board Members report on the celebrations and challenges in the district and often organize initiatives to benefit students. They do not vote at meetings.
This is the seventh year CCSD 89 will have Student Board Members. CCSD 89 is one of the few Illinois districts to have middle school students serving as Student Board Members.
Olivia Loftsgaarden
When Olivia Loftsgaarden wrote her personal statement for the Student Board Member position, she included ideas she had for the upcoming school year. Each of those suggestions had a common theme: connection.
Loftsgaarden, 13, is passionate about building bridges across different grade levels and student groups. She feels serving as a Student Board Member will give her an opportunity to work on that throughout the district.
“The most important thing in our district is our students,” Loftsgaarden wrote. “We should do whatever we can to ensure they make connections with others and have good mental health throughout their school career.”
This desire to make connections is nothing new. Former Arbor View PTC president Julie Lerch remembers Loftsgaarden coming to PTC meetings as an elementary student to give school and Girl Scouts updates to the adults. Wearing her Girl Scout vest, Loftsgaarden would even take minutes at the meeting.
“What truly distinguishes Olivia is her profound and unwavering commitment to inclusion,” Lerch wrote. “Olivia’s ability to recognize and respond to the needs of others with compassion, empathy, and respect is rare and deeply inspiring.”
At Glen Crest, Loftsgaarden has been involved in band, Builders Club, Cooking Club, cross country, Friends Helping Friends, intramural sports, Junior Raiders dance team, Library Teen Advisory Board, Math Team, the Spartacus Reading Challenge, and Student Leadership Coalition. In elementary school, she was part of Girls on Fire, safety patrol, and WAVE Club.
Outside of school, Loftsgaarden is involved in babysitting, Girl Scouts, religious education, and volunteering in the community.
“I want to make a mark on the four elementary schools and Glen Crest that will have a lasting effect for years to come,” Loftsgaarden wrote.
When she gets older, Loftsgaarden would like to be a mathematician.
Skylar Usalis
Skylar Usalis believes the Student Board Member position is an opportunity to make an impact across the district she has attended since kindergarten.
“My goal would be to get everybody involved in something they love,” she wrote in her application. “I want this role so that everyone can have a voice and be included in things that they enjoy and make others happy.”
Usalis has certainly sought out opportunities at school. At Glen Crest, she has been involved in basketball, Builders Club, cheerleading, cross country, the D89 Day of Service, Drama Club, Friends Helping Friends, Library Teen Advisory Board, school musicals (Matilda and High School Musical), the Spartacus Reading Challenge, Student Leadership Coalition, and volleyball. As a Park View Elementary student, she was a part of D89 basketball, orchestra, and the WIN Club.
Outside of school, Usalis is the captain of her travel softball team, plays Raiders basketball, and volunteers in her community through her church.
Last year, Glen Crest literacy teacher Amanda Schmidt watched the 13-year-old balance sports and a significant role in the school musical with her outside activities.
“It was a demanding schedule, but Skylar juggled it all with poise and dedication,” Schmidt said. “She consistently checked in, stayed organized, and managed her responsibilities with maturity well beyond her years. She is a natural leader and role model among her peers.”
As an adult, Usalis would like to work with children, potentially as a speech pathologist.