She doesn’t get to vote on every item but she is getting a firsthand look at how school business is conducted … and getting an education in community activism.

Escalon High School senior Madison Bavaro is serving as this year’s student member of the Escalon Unified School District Board of Trustees, taking her seat alongside district officials and fellow board members.

She will serve for the entirety of the 2019-2020 school year and said the position is one she wanted to fill.

“Last year I was a Homecoming Commissioner,” Bavaro said of being involved with the school leadership team as a junior. “I ran (for board representative) because I just wanted to have a voice for the school and students.”

She has already attended her first school board meeting and also has had a couple of meetings with District Superintendent Ron Costa.

“I actually met with him before the school year ended last year,” Bavaro noted, adding that she also has had discussions with him this year, prior to attending her first board meeting, to learn about how the business meetings are conducted.

Bavaro did some homework on her own as well to prepare.

“I talked a lot with representative to the board.

Bavaro said she is eager to take advantage of the opportunity, both to serve and to learn.

“I’m most interested in learning about all the schools, not just the high school,” she explained. “I think it will be a good update on things you wouldn’t normally know. You get to high school, you kind of forget about middle school and elementary.”

It’s those schools she wants to make sure have a voice as well, since the school board covers the entire district, she wants to make sure students at all levels have a voice with the panel.

“I go to the first meeting of the month,” she said of attending just one of the usual two monthly school board sessions.

She can vote on certain items and also is encouraged to join in the conversations and ask questions.

“I also provide highlights of what each class (level) is doing,” she said of providing updates to the rest of the board members.

Along with her new role on the board, Bavaro is also serving as the Associated Student Body Vice President this year, assisting ASB President Ashley Levin in running the student government/leadership group. She attended the recent EHS Back to School Night in her official capacity.

“It was good, we had a good turnout and the whole quad was full of the various groups and clubs,” Bavaro said.

Also a cheerleader for football and basketball, Bavaro has done competitive dance for years and hopes to attend Santa Clara University after graduating from Escalon. She plans to study Biomedical Engineering.

For now, though, her time will be full with classes, extracurricular activities, cheer, student government duties and more.

She urged anyone interested in running for the position in the future to do it.

“I definitely think you should take the opportunity to make the biggest impact,” she said of getting involved in school. “You have a lot of input for the good of the students.”