From the time we enter school on that first day of kindergarten, we are taught that our job is to do well in school, to make the most of our intellectual talents, to contribute to the world and to maximize our potential. Along with most of my friends, I live in a secure and blessed world where college is not a maybe, but a must. I live in a district that has a 98.8 percent graduation rate, compared to the national average of 82 percent. I live in a district that has 4o elementary schools, 16 middle schools, and a whopping 9 high schools, with many more on the way.

I am one of 52,000 students in FISD, something that I am exceedingly thankful for. As I go off to college, I have slowly began to realize just how lucky I was to have grown up in a district that emphasized my education as much as it did. I was offered every AP class under the sun, given the tools I needed to do well in college, and had the opportunity to experience extracurriculars in a way that I know many students in the country and the world don’t get to experience.

Beyond our fantastic teachers and principals, there are a few people at the top who have made an impact on my education, people that many students in the district don’t even consider: the school board.

As a student, when I’m taking an EOC, when I’m in class listening to a government lecture, or presenting a project to my peers, I don’t consider the school board as instrumental in my education experience. They’re removed from my thought process, but they’re there, and they make decisions about our schooling, our curriculum, the programs in our schools, the budget, the list goes on and on.

These decisions affect me as a student. They affect us as a community. They affect my generation and the generations after me. They affect what Frisco will look like in the future. These people are important and I don’t consider it to be a joke in the slightest.

That’s why when I found out about something that happened recently in the campaign for FISD School Board Place 2, I was saddened beyond belief. A mailer was sent out by outside organizations, bashing two of the candidates running for the positions. The mailer was an ugly and totally uncalled for attempt to influence voters by preying on their worst prejudices.

The mailer made the school board election into something it shouldn’t be, a race based on attack, rather than simply putting support behind the candidate you believe is best suited for the job. I’ve known Anjali Shirvaikar since I was in sixth grade and Phil Ramirez lives across the street from me. They are both involved in the community and have run clean campaigns. They simply believe they are the best person to lead the school district, and want to bring their ideas to the school board. They didn’t deserve to be attacked in such a manner.

But you know the worst part? It’s not the attack or the provoking language that was used. It’s the line at the bottom that says “Because so few people vote in local elections there are no lines/waiting. It takes 3 minutes to vote.”

The worst part is not the attack. The worst part is that so few people vote in local elections that this kind of thing could actually make an impact on the end result.

5.8 percent. That’s how many people came out to vote for Frisco’s last local election.  We are a town that prides itself on civic engagement and the high caliber of our schools, yet we have a measly 5.8 percent of the population who actually comes out to vote for elections like these. Elections that could actually make a difference in our everyday lives.

So, yes, the presidential election is important. I want the best person to lead the United States of America just like the rest of us. However, I want the best person to represent our district on that school board just as much. As much as you might like Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz, they are going to have a miniscule effect on your life compared to your local government. These people make decisions regarding our children’s schooling, our neighborhoods, our roads, our businesses. This election matters just as much, and we as a town need to make sure we’re doing our part to choose the best person for the job.

To my fellow seniors, you need to care. As much as adults and parents care about our school district, we are the ones who have seen the effect of policies and the like on our schooling. We know what it means to have technology in our classrooms, or not have to worry about final exams on top of AP exams. We know what it means to have good teachers and administrators, we know the effect they can have on our lives. We should care, and we should vote. It’s time we step up as adults and exercise that right to have our voice heard in our districts. We often complain that teachers or the district don’t listen to us as students, but what are we going to do about it if we don’t take an active interest in decisions like this one?

I’m still seventeen years old, so no matter how much I care about this or want to see the best person on our school board, I’m not going to have the opportunity to cast a ballot come May 7. So I’m trusting the rest of you to do the right thing and vote in this election. Our kids, our schools, and our community deserve it.