21-year-old board member from Northern NY named winner of Champion for Change award


On Board Online • June 13, 2016

By Archa Wachowicz
Deputy Director of Business Development

The winner of NYSSBA's 2016 Champion for Change Award is a 21-year-old school board member who spearheaded initiatives in the Belleville-Henderson school district while simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree at Cornell University.

John "J.W." Allen has had a perfect attendance record at board meetings, held twice monthly, despite the fact that he had to drive four hours each way from Ithaca to Belleville, located near Watertown.

He ran for the district's school board at the age of 18, as a senior in high school, and won 71 percent of the vote. At Cornell, he was a dual major in agricultural sciences and applied economics & management.

He has served as the board's vice president for the past three years and has served as the district's voting delegate at NYSSBA's Annual Business Meeting.

According to Superintendent Rick Moore, Allen has had many accomplishments during his short tenure. He said Allen:

  • "Changed the culture and climate of the board from one of confrontation to cooperation," in relation to contracts and bargaining agreements.
  • "Led the district in creating, monitoring and evaluating district-wide goals."
  • Championed the idea of changing the school's infrastructure so the entire campus will be wireless, which turned out to be a selling point for a building project.
  • Spearheaded the first updating of the district's policy manual since the 1980s.
  • Initiated a summer school program addressing the needs of struggling students.

At Cornell, Allen was chair of the Student Management Corporation, which oversees $5 million in purchases each year. He was a teaching assistant for the Intergroup Dialogue Project, head teaching assistant for the Oral Communication program and a member of the Order of Omega honor society.

He is currently working in his family's rubbish removal and sanitation business in Belleville - John Allen Sanitation Services. A former state FFA president, he is active in the Farm Bureau and Grange.

"Most impressive is his perseverance," Moore said. "Early in his first term he was faced with a great deal of opposition against some of his ideas. Many felt his youth and inexperience would cloud his judgment, but to his credit he attended every annual NYSSBA convention and committed himself to learn how to be the best possible Board of Education member . He is an exceptional Board of Education member and at the age of 21, he has many more years to continue to make a tremendous impact on our school district."

Some criteria for NYSSBA's Champion for Change Award vary from year to year. This year's award was designated for "a dedicated, innovative and effective first term school board member."

Every year, the winner must:

  • Demonstrate innovative creativity.
  • Evidence improvements to school district programs and operations.
  • Deploy ethical leadership skills leading to ground-breaking change.
  • Be a role model and inspiration for future school board members.

Allen will be presented with his NYSSBA 2016 Champion for Change Award at The Rural Schools Association of New York State Annual Conference in Cooperstown on July 10.




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