School board rep Daquioag is a voice for MHS students

Manteca High School junior Aleena Daquioag serves as the school’s student representative to the Manteca Unified School District school board. She attends meetings, sharing two upcoming events and one past event. (Moises Ramos/The Tower)

By CAYLEN GARIBAY
The Tower

Standing at the lectern, Aleena Daquioag confidently speaks to an audience made up of school board members and superintendent, each watching with respect for the one speaking.

Daquioag, a Manteca High junior, is affirmative in her speech, detailing important ideas that have and will shape the future of Manteca High and its educational hopes for its students.

Daquioag relishes her role as a student board member for the school. She tackles the challenges with a smile, realizing she represents more than 1,900 students to the Manteca Unified School District school board.

“To me this role is to help the student voice,” she said. “I feel like we are overlooked as lot as students. No adults ever really listen, so if there’s ever something really big that’s taking over our school, I try to bring those ideas across with my advisor and the other student board representatives.”

Daquioag, a cheerleader and active member of the school’s Leadership class, has a burning passion for Manteca High School and wants nothing more than to improve the school in any way she can. This of course includes keeping the students and the board members updated on current events and plans.

Daquioag was voted in as a board member when former Buffalo Daisy Espinoza vacated the position because of graduation. She opened the position to the Leadership class and wanted to start preparing her incumbent about the position and how to accomplish the tasks of the position.

There was a lot of interest in the position. Candidates had to deliver a speech to the Leadership class, who ultimately decided voted on who would become the school’s next student board representative.

Daquioag recently announced that the school is doing the Gold Civic Seal of Engagement for the diplomas for the seniors based on achievements in social science. The Gold Civic Seal of Engagement is a golden seal that goes on a diploma or transcript. This gold seal recognizes high school graduates that have shown understanding of civic knowledge and or civic skills and action.

Another topic Daquioag has discussed is the idea of changing the school’s daily schedule. Some have argued that school begins too late.

“Everybody thinks that we are starting too late, so they want to start earlier,” she said. “That’s actually a huge one that went on my student board."