Bloomington Public Schools student school board representatives for the 2025-26 school year are Jefferson junior Elsa Ackerman and Kennedy senior Samia Mohamud. They attended and were sworn in at their first board meeting of the school year on Sept. 22.

Student representatives are non-voting members of the school board. They attend board meetings once a month to provide reports about school activities and participate in discussions of board agenda items. This is both students’ first year as student school board representatives. They’re passionate about representing their peers.

“Having the voice to express others’ opinions and my own is something I take pride in,” Ackerman says.

“It’s important to have the voices of youth involved in policy decision-making because it directly affects them,” Mohamud says.

Ackerman and Mohamud are both heavily involved in school activities. Mohamud is vice president of Kennedy’s National Honor Society, captain of Bloomington’s speech and debate teams, and captain of Kennedy’s lacrosse team. Ackerman is a member of Jefferson’s varsity show choir Connection and participates in theater, National Honor Society, and Pathfinders.