ne of the most satisfying parts of my job is the opportunity to work with Mt. Lebanon’s Junior Commissioners and board members. The Junior Commissioner program started in 2012 with a goal of creating opportunities for engagement between Mt. Lebanon students and our five-member Commission. Although the Junior Commissioners do not vote and are not part of official deliberations, the Commission counts on them to represent the concerns and hopes of our bright students.

The Commission selects two Junior Commissioners each school year — one for each semester — and to put it mildly, the competition is fierce. The students must be rising juniors or seniors at Mt. Lebanon High School and they must have a letter of recommendation from a non-related adult. But beyond that, the students can demonstrate any number of qualities that set them apart, whether it’s good grades (nearly always the case), voracious community volunteering, excellent speaking skills, business or athletic acumen or leadership in the school’s student council. This year’s Commissioners are Clara Sun and Abigail Sohyda.

The students address the Commission at each regular meeting on a topic of their choosing, and it is always delightful to hear what the student body cares about. They also attend Commission discussion sessions, which is where the sausage is made — rather, where the Commissioners debate policy and learn much of the information that will form the basis of their decisions; sometimes soon and sometimes years down the road.

I get an extra kick when I run into Junior Commissioners years later in their adult lives, as they take on internships and jobs that cross my path again.

Because we always have more interested students than open positions, the municipality several years ago created the junior board member role, where students can apply for non-voting membership on several boards and authorities. Those positions are open to rising sophomores through seniors. They must be Mt. Lebanon residents but can attend any school, including public, private and home schools.

The application period is open now through July 8. Details are at mtlebanon.org/juniorcommissioner. Students should apply soon because once school is out, it is often harder to get those letters of recommendation.

Junior Commissioners and board members are just some of the amazing students making life better for all of us. Read about some of the environmental clubs and activities of our high school students in Rachel Windsor’s story.