In The News

NN School Board appoints 2009-10 student representative
Rising senior Ian Abbott welcomed at July 1 meeting

Ian Abbott

(July 6, 2009) -- Ian Abbott, who will be a senior in the International Baccalaureate program at Warwick High School in the fall, is the new student representative to the Newport News School Board. Ian, the son of Sheryl Abbott, has been a member of the Student Advisory Group on Education since his freshman year of high school.

Ian was elected by the other members of SAGE as student representative to the board. He said his work with SAGE has shown him how diverse NNPS is: “I get perspective and insight on how each school works and is different,” he added.

Ian was president of his junior class and is active in several other organizations at Warwick, among them the O Ambassadors Club, the Interact Club, Youth Leadership Alliance, Meeting of the Minds, and the Math Honor Society. This summer, he is working full time as a photographer at Busch Gardens. He attended the residential Governor’s School for Humanities at the University of Richmond in 2008.

After being welcomed to his new position during the School Board’s organizational meeting July 1, Ian said, “It’s very humbling to see all the effort and work that go into running a school division.” His term will end in June 2010.

Ian is considering attending Columbia University in New York after graduation. He said he’s undecided about a major but is thinking about pre-law and photojournalism. He also would like to do some print catalog modeling to help support himself while he’s in college.

Ian has a sister, Olivia, who’s 14. In his free time, he enjoys being with friends and participating in dance crew. His crew, Off the Meter, has competed in local talent shows. Not surprisingly, he also enjoys watching “America’s Best Dance Crew” and other talent competitions.