CHARLOTTE STUDENTS TAKE ON SCHOOL BOARD ROLES

Charlotte County Chamber Of Commerce's Junior Leadership Charlotte
Program Allows Students To Act Out What Happens At A School Board Meeting

PORT CHARLOTTE -- Bryan Greenberg, a Charlotte High School junior,
viewed schools from an entirely different perspective Friday.

Bryan, along with other high school students, sat upon the Charlotte
County School Board dais and acted as the board's chairman. Bryan
and 27 other high school juniors from all of the county's high
schools participated in the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce's
Junior Leadership Charlotte Program.

The students went to and learned about the workings of the Charlotte
County Justice Center and other institutions throughout the county,
culminating with the mock School Board meeting.

"I think this demonstrated how it's organized and how much is riding
on certain decisions a few people make," Bryan said of his board
experience. He discovered School Board members and school
administrators explored issues in depth before reaching their conclusions.

John Swoboda, a Lemon Bay High School junior who filled the role of
school superintendent, said, "You see the other side of the issue. A
lot of times, students only see their point."

The meeting was a portrayal of School Board meeting; however, the
issues on the agenda were real. Superintendent David Gayler said the
issues were ones that board members discussed on various occasions.
The main issue discussed was whether to allow the random drug
testing of students.

The student board voted 3-2 against allowing random drug testing,
which School Board chairwoman Andrea Messina found interesting. Two
previous student groups, Messina said, voted in favor of random testing.

Amber Laniewski, a Lemon Bay High School student acting as a board
member, said, "I really do think it's giving up (students')
constitutional rights."