When DISD Trustee Ron Price initiated the Teen School Board in 1997, he wanted to bring student voices to the decision-making process. And Woodrow Wilson’s Brennan Greef was just the kind of student he envisioned serving on it.
“She’s wonderful, outstanding, vocal about issues that affect her school,” he says of the senior who serves as secretary to his brainchild. He notes that other members of the Teen Board also appreciate her style of communication and leadership. “It’s unique in today’s times to find commitment to education for all kids,” Price continues. Students like Brennan are “really amazing, uplifting.”
For Brennan too, serving on the Board, which is composed of the senior class presidents from the district’s high schools, has been a positive experience. “I didn’t used to have faith” that the Board could make any difference, she admits. But as DISD trustees attended the meetings to listen to student concerns, and the group determined district-wide issues and adopted service projects, she has grown enthusiastic.
“It’s really encouraging,” she says of Board of Trustees members’ interest. And the information she receives at the meetings benefits students at Woodrow. “There are a lot of programs kids aren’t aware of, like scholarships,” she says. “I take it to the counselors to make an announcement.”
As the Teen Board discusses issues such as changes to graduation plans and arranging peer tutoring for TAAS, Brennan finds herself devoting several hours each week to the group’s concerns. And that’s on top of the numerous other activities she participates in. In addition to being class president for three years, she is a member of Woodrow’s choir Variations, president of the Key Club, captain of the Drill Team, a member of the National Honor Society and the Choir Council Board, and involved in the school’s One Act Play and Mock Trial. She’s also an academic star enrolled in six Advanced Placement courses, each of which requires tutoring outside of normal school hours.
The schedule keeps her busy. Brennan often arrives at school at 7:15 a.m. and leaves after 6 p.m. On some days, she returns to school after dinner for more activities.
Brennan does sleep in on Saturdays (“now that I don’t run cross country,” she explains) and spends the day with her boyfriend and friends bowling, watching movies at the Inwood, and listening to local bands in Deep Ellum. Once a private school student who begged her parents to let her attend Woodrow, Brennan revels in her hectic schedule. “Everything I do is fun,” she enthuses. “I love Woodrow. [Here,] I can do all these things. You’re not just a jock or just a singer. I like the uniqueness.”
