Commack High School junior Cassidy Gill was appointed as the district’s second ever ex-officio Board of Education member during Thursday evening’s BOE meeting. She will serve in the role for the 2026-27 school year. Cassidy follows Kyla Gruber, who filled the inaugural role for the 2025-26 school year.

The student representative position is designed to share the student perspective with district leaders. Cassidy brings extensive experience to her new role, having served on the Legislative Advocacy Committee since her freshman year. Recently, she has been involved in drafting an artificial intelligence literacy requirement for New York State and serves as a student strategist for the district’s director of technology and innovation.

Beyond her advocacy work, Cassidy is a Class of 2027 board officer and participates in the CHS theater department and vocal jazz. As an International Baccalaureate Diploma candidate, she emphasized the importance of being a strong communicator. “Communication is key when problem solving to make decisions collaboratively,” Cassidy noted in her application.