Emily Maloney was nervous when she woke up last Wednesday morning.

That night, the 17-year-old, along with fellow MSS Grade 12 student Mackenzie Finch, 17, would be attending her first school board meeting for School District 58 as a student trustee.

Maloney and Finch were asked by the school’s administration to be student trustees on the board, and took the job.

“I was nervous this morning. I didn’t really know what to expect but once I got here, it felt a lot like my Rotary meeting. I’m involved in the Rotary clubs in Merritt — I went on an exchange to Denmark last year — so for me, this felt pretty comfortable,” Maloney said at the meeting on Nov. 13.

Finch said she started out excited for the meeting, but then the butterflies started to set in.

“After getting in here and seeing how everything works, it was really comfortable, like Emily said, so I kind of like it. It’s interesting for me to see and it’s a new learning experience so it’s cool to have the opportunity to do it,” Finch said.

The school board’s new policy is to have two non-voting students from MSS to serve as trustees for school board meetings in Merritt and two from Princeton Secondary School for meetings in Princeton.

“They are encouraged to participate in the dialogue and discussion. They do not vote, but they are here to learn and to take part,” school board vice-chair Richie Gage said at the meeting.

The students also do not take part in in-camera meetings, but can submit ideas and add items to the agenda.

At the meeting, Maloney told her fellow trustees she’s interested in being involved in the meetings because she can provide the students’ voice to the board.

Finch echoed that sentiment and told the Herald she’s excited to ask her peers how they feel on certain issues she can bring up at meetings.

“Especially our school, they’re quite timid to speak out about certain things,” Finch said.

Finch told the trustees that as a student councillor, seeing how the school board operates can be helpful in giving her new ideas on how to run student council.

The pair were called upon for their direct input on an issue regarding the newly refinished MSS gymnasium floor, the use of which has been denied for a number of activities, including student dances.

“It’s the talk of the school right now and everyone’s really upset about it,” Maloney told the Herald.

Maloney and Finch said they look forward to bringing more issues to school board meetings as they will be attending Merritt-based meetings throughout the year.

“I think the student trustee idea is amazing,” Maloney said. “I think it’s a really good program and a lot of people in the school probably want to say something to the school board directly and they can’t because they don’t have the voice and they don’t have the opportunity.”

Gage told the Herald he was impressed with the two student trustees from MSS.

“They spoke well, the two new student trustees,” Gage said. “They’re keen, it’s really good.”