Holly Thorpe

Holly Thorpe ’26 was unanimously elected as an ex officio member of the East Greenbush Central School District Board of Education earlier this summer. Ms. Thorpe, who is entering her senior year at Columbia High School, is the first student to ever serve on the district’s school board.

As an ex-officio member of the board for this coming school year, Ms. Thorpe will attend regular board meetings and serve as a student representative on important school matters. While she is a non-voting member of the board, she will participate in discussions, contribute to development of policies, and learn about local- and state-level governance.

Ms. Thorpe is a standout student who is involved in a number of extracurricular activities including Columbia Players Theater, Model Congress, Chamber Singers, Peer Leadership, Amnesty International, basketball, tennis, and the student advocacy group Empowering Student Voices.

“I’m excited and honored to be the first student to serve on the Board of Education,” said Ms. Thorpe. “The other board members have been so supportive even after just one meeting, and I can’t wait to share my perspectives with them. This is going to be a fantastic school year for sure!”

All Columbia students were invited to submit applications for the ex officio role this past spring. After a review of applications, Ms. Thorpe was selected. William Bollam ’27, an incoming junior at Columbia, was elected as the ex officio alternate.

Thank you to all of our student applicants for this important new role!