Great Neck Public Schools Board of Education student delegates, representing the district’s secondary schools, were introduced to the community at a board meeting on Oct. 16.
These non-voting delegates were selected by their schools. They are charged with providing regular reports to the board about activities throughout the district. They are also encouraged to express opinions about educational and student matters, to voice school issues or concerns, and to take pertinent board agenda items back to their respective schools.
Student delegates for the 2025–26 school year are Jingxin Rui, Joseph Lahijani and Samuel Noah Kaya from North Middle; Dov Adda, Winston Chen and Yutong Xing from South Middle; Lielle Ostad, Vivienne Ahdoot and Letizia Kaya from North High; Dhruvi Kumar, Alivia Chen, Cassandra Zheng and Dalia Castilho from South High; and Gwendolyn Hart from Village School. The GNPS Board of Education has been in the vanguard of student participation in school affairs, initiating student delegates in 1975—a practice New York State did not require until 2005.
In 2025, the state mandated the appointment of ex-officio student members to serve alongside elected trustees on public school boards. At the September board meeting, seniors Katie Leder from South High and Maxwell Pour from North High took the oath of office to serve as ex-officio student members for the 2025–26 school year.
