There will be a new face on the Fenton Board of Education soon.

Drew Shapiro beat out competitors Dior Rushton and incumbent Sandra Mathews Barnes in the Fenton school board race.

He tallied 3,056 votes, while Mathews-Barnes had 2,537 and Rushton had 705.

"I feel really great," Shapiro said. "No one really runs a school board campaign like I did. I let people know I was serious and now I'm ready to keep my promises. If I put my name out there, I'm not going to do it halfway."

Shapiro will join president Lynn Hopper, vice president Nora Kryza, treasurer Richard Des Jardins and trustees Daniel Carter Brian Horton and Tamara Valley for a four-year term.

"Drew will bring a young voice," Hopper said. "He's going to have a learning curve like any new school board member would. We normally don't see someone so young. I think he will work well with the group and I'm looking forward to working with him."

Hopper said while there are student representatives and older adults on the board, Shapiro may be able to bridge the generation gap between the two. He said he was sad to see Mathews-Barnes lose, but is excited to work with Shapiro.

Shapiro, 2006 Fenton graduate, wants to help students be ready for careers after high school.

"We need to ensure that future generations of Fenton graduates are not faced with these same problems," he said. "I want to help students create visions for successful futures in the real world."

He plans to implement a mentor lunch program and wants to review the International Baccalaureate Program.

"While I agree with the real world applications that the program teaches students, I have several concerns about the current implementation of the program itself," Shapiro said. "The School Board must do a cost benefit analysis of the program and its curriculum to determine the future of the program."

He said he has done his homework and is ready for the challenge.

"I've learned so much in the past few months, going through the budget. I feel very educated," he said. "I feel I could write a book about the IB program. I fell asleep the other day reading the No Child Left Behind Act."

*All results are unofficial and provided by the Genesee County Clerk.