Hello my name is Christéana Piancino and I am a senior at Raton High School. I have been a part of Evolvement for almost four years and the Leadership Team for three years. This year in Evolvement, I worked on 24/7, which focuses on getting tobacco and nicotine out of schools by meeting with principals and school boards and getting their support. Most notably, I attended a school board meeting within my district.

I have done a few school board meetings in the past, but I feel like this one in particular had the most progress. I feel this way because this meeting was after 2023, when we helped update rule 6.12.4 the Public Education Department’s policy making all schools in New Mexico 100% tobacco free twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. So, Sam Colombo, the 24/7 campaign manager, and I checked in on the district to show our support for them and to offer any assistance we can. My favorite part about this meeting was that Jason Phillips, the president of the school board and also someone who did not seem very interested the first time we presented, said “I think it’s a no-brainer that we need [the signage] in our schools.”, We felt really good about his response and willingness to utilize signs. 

School board meetings are super impactful because it shows the entire district how passionate you are about the issues that plague your school and how much you want to help students. In the future, I want to keep working with Raton on their tobacco and nicotine policy and get them to become a partner of Evolvement.

1. Blog
2. My Experience Advocating at School Board Meetings