Eight new and four returning members have been named to a group of students that advises the St. Paul school board.

The Student Engagement and Advancement Board, formed in 2015, has advocated for changes on graduation ceremony attire, school policing and ethnic studies, among other issues.

Students meet regularly, conduct research, present to the school board and take turns attending board meetings as non-voting members.

Returning members are juniors Anindita Rajamani of Highland Park and Diamond Thlang of Harding and seniors Cheng Vang of Creative Arts and Malachi Raymond of Open World Learning.

New members are seniors Atquetzali Quiroz of OWL and Alma Sanchez and Selah Jacoway of Highland Park, as well as juniors Kalid Ali of Como Park, Simon Mulrooney of Central, and Harding’s Marianna Suna Xion, Jordanna Marshall and Tochi Onuegbu.

The board has just 12 members this year, down from 13, because one dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, the district said.

Twenty-one students had applied for the nine open positions this year.