Monday’s Delaware City Schools Board of Education meeting was the first to have votes from Mary Grace Duffy, who was sworn in as the newest Student Board Member.
As the Student Board Member, Duffy will attend every board meeting, give her perspective on topics related to Hayes High School and Duffy will have a spiritual vote on all board action.
Duffy, 17, will be a senior at Hayes this fall and said her first board meeting was “surreal.”
“I say that because, I’ve been in this community for such a long time, I’ve taken such pleasure in attending from preschool at Woodward Elementary to Hayes High School but I haven’t yet encountered the behind the scenes of our district,” Duffy said. “I’m so honored but also intimidated. I see how hard working these administrators are and I hope I can reach their work ethic. I’m a dogged person but seeing them working in the summer is really inspiring.”
At Hayes, Duffy is involved in choir, musical theater, National Honor Society, Youth in Government, Student Council, Diversity Club and Tri-M Music Honor Society. She said she approached district when she heard that the position would be opening up when previous student board member, Caroline Binkley, graduated in May.
“I know that I’m a leader,” Duffy said. “I think the administrators see that because I was chosen personally to represent the school. This role is an opportunity for me to grow as a leader and articulate the successes of the Delaware Community and Hayes in general but also to articulate needed improvements.”
Duffy said she’d like to give more attention to mental health and diversity within the district.
Duffy said she’s very connected to the district aside from just being a student because her sister is a teacher at Hayes, her mother is a school nurse and her father is a retired teacher and said she’s excited to be the next person in her family to to serve the district.
“I’m honored,” Duffy said. “From seeing them grow as people and employees of Delaware I’ve grown to look up to them and now I’m sort of in the position that they are. It’s cool. I’m the youngest and I would have never thought I would be in such a position that my parents and my sister were in.”
Duffy was sworn in at the meeting by Treasurer Melissa N. Swearingen.