The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education swore in its 2025-26 Student Representatives on August 28, welcoming Scarlet Strogov and Penn Shapiro.
Strogov and Shapiro were selected by their peers in June to serve on the BOE.
The students swore the following oath, administered by South Orange-Maplewood School District Business Administrator Imani Moody: “I, [name], do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and this State under the authority of the people, so help me God.”
SOMSD has long had student reps serving on the BOE, but every school district and charter school with a high school in New Jersey became required to have a non-voting student representative on the board of education as a result of legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in January 2022.
Although the South Orange-Maplewood student reps have no voting power on the BOE, their monthly reports bring students’ perspectives and the reality of day-to-day experience at Columbia High School — and, recently, the two middle schools through outreach — into Board meetings.
South Orange-Maplewood student reps have provided crucial updates and insights on electronic monitoring of students, school safety, Freshman Academy, scheduling issues, advocacy for mental health resources and support, and more.
Village Green has contacted the district for more information on Strogov and Shapiro and will update this story with any response.
Supt. Jason Bing, Board 1st VP Will Meyer, Board member Deirdre Brown, Board President Nubia DuVall Wilson, Student Representative Penn Shapiro, Student Representative Scarlet Strogov, Board member Liz Callahan, Board member Jeff Bennett, Board member Bimal Kapadia, Business Administrator Imani Moody, and Board 2nd VP Regina Eckert. Photo by Eshaya Draper.
