Two student leaders have been selected to serve as the next student board representatives to the District 45 Board of Education. Kristy De La Torre, an eighth grader at Jefferson Middle School, and Violet Fillipp an eighth grader at Jackson Middle School, will serve during the 2026-27 school year.
De La Torre and Fillipp will represent student voices at selected board meetings, sharing regular updates that reflect the experiences and perspectives of District 45 middle school students.
GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVES
Kristy De La Torre
What I’m most excited about in my student representative role is: speaking about my school.
Being a leader means: being able to direct your followers into creating a greater community.
If I could instantly become really good at any skill, it would be: cooking!
In my free time, I enjoy: digital art on my phone or drawing sketches in my sketchbook.
My favorite academic class this year is: algebra!
A teacher or staff member who has made a big difference for me is: Mrs. Pakeltis!
My favorite school activity outside of class is: orchestra.
One goal I’ve set for myself this year is to: be more positive!
My advice to incoming sixth graders is: don’t get involved with the drama.
When I get older, I would like to be: a game developer or an artist.
Violet Fillipp
What I’m most excited about in my student representative role is: being able to share about my experiences in school and help people understand what it is like to be a student in D45.
Being a leader means: being a stand-out role model among a group of people, assisting people in projects, and helping to set up things that need to be completed.
If I could instantly become really good at any skill, it would be: running because it would be easier to play sports and do fitness testing at school.
In my free time, I enjoy: playing softball, cooking, writing, reading, art and volunteering at the library.
My favorite academic classes this year are: science and ELA.
A teacher who has made a big difference for me is: Mr. Puc, my seventh-grade ELA teacher. He helped me get over my fear of public speaking (now I enjoy giving speeches), and he made learning difficult topics fun and understandable.
My favorite school activities outside of class are: STEM club, SAVE club, tutoring, student ambassadors, peer buddies and culinary club.
One goal I’ve set for myself this year is to: get a 4.0 GPA. This is an extremely important goal I am striving to achieve because this year Willowbrook looks at your grades, and it can alter the advancedness of the classes they will allow you to take.
My advice to incoming sixth graders is: not to worry about getting lost because teachers and other students will always help you. I would also tell sixth graders to use the resources available to them at school, including their assignment notebook, library and school counselors.
When I get older, I would like to be: an author, baker or marine biologist.
