Mt. Lebanon appoints junior commissioners
Mt. Lebanon welcomes two new Junior Commissioners for the 2014-15 school year. Nikola Ranick, Inglewood Drive, will serve for the first semester. Haley Silverman, James Place, will serve for the second semester.
“The commission selected these candidates from an outstanding field of applicants, all of whom came highly recommended,” says Susan Morgans, municipal spokesperson. “It was a difficult decision.”
Junior Commissioners attend all public Commission meetings and report on student activities and events. In turn, they report to the school student council about the issues and initiatives of municipal government.
Ranick, a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School, hopes to pursue a career in politics. He is president of the Student Council and has served in other leadership roles, including secretary of Interfaith Alliance and president of the Human Rights Club.
Ranick says his classmates describe him as “a class clown and a political fanatic.” He believes both traits will serve him well as junior commissioner in that while governments around the world are dealing with very serious issues, a light-hearted mood helps relieve some of the pervasive societal anxiety that results.
Silverman, also a Mt. Lebanon High School senior, says her top priorities are academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and the B’nai Brith Youth Organization (BBYO).
At school, she has participated in varsity soccer and track, is a member of the National Honor Society, served on the Student Curriculum Advisory Committee, participated in Model UN and writes for the school newspaper. Her community involvement has ranged from serving on the BBYO Youth Board to helping with the Washington School Winter Carnival to joining in Mt. Lebanon’s Relay for Life–last year her team raised $5,000 for the American Cancer Society.
“I strive to impact those around me, and will use everything in my power [as a junior commissioner] to accomplish that goal,” Silverman says. “With my involvement in high school and interest in making a difference, I believe I can contribute to making our community better.”