The Choice Is Yours: Two Candidates Vie To Represent You

March 2002

Students across the county will select the 25th Student Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education next month. 247 students, including seven from Damascus, narrowed the field to two candidates at the SMOB Nominating Convention on March 7th. Students in grades six through twelve will choose between Mihyar Alnifaidy and Alex Sellinger on April 24th.

The Student Member of the Board, or SMOB, is one of eight members on the county's Board of Education. The student member can vote on most issues, but his or her vote does not count with budget items or negative personnel matters.

"I think this position is extremely important," current SMOB Dustin Jeter says. "A voice without a vote isn't that powerful. And even though people are willing to listen, they might not always vote in the best interests of students."

"The SMOB is truly the only expert when it comes to education in Montgomery County," former SMOB member Chris Lloyd says. "I could cite countless times that I had to provide a reality check to the Board members about what was really going on in our schools." Jeter points out one such instance. The topic was academic rigor and "double A" exemption, where students with two marking-period A's would be exempt from the final exam: "We were talking about a situation where students didn't really study for a test unless it was important," Jeter recalls. "The adults all thought that students studied for every test." He quickly pointed out how incorrect that is. The two final candidates hope to be able to do the same thing, beginning this fall.

Mihyar Alnifaidy is a junior at Springbrook High School. He was born in Paris, France and is a native of Sudan. He has attended Montgomery County Public Schools since 1993. Mihyar has participated in school and county SGA, football, lacrosse, cross country, and field hockey during his three years in high school.

"I know a hot topic is double A exemptions," Alnifaidy says. He identifies this as his most important issue if elected. Another key issue would be transition classes from middle school to high school -- offering students a class to help make the often volatile school transition smoother.

Mihyar's platform stresses recycling in all schools, Double A exemption, signature and magnet program expansion, extra-circular activity support, and additional career-oriented courses. "I feel as though we all, as students, have first-hand insight on high school life," his profile states. "Therefore, we all have opinions and suggestions to improve our school system. My campaign is all about student participation and insight."

Alex Sellinger is a junior at Whitman High School. He is an officer in his Junior Class, rows on Whitman's crew team, and enjoys politics and current events. He hopes to "empower you" and all students of MCPS.

Alex promises to "be your voice." "I think that I bring a unique and different perspective to the position of SMOB," Sellinger says. "I think that I am uniquely qualified -- I've done some great things at Whitman," he says, citing recently extended library hours and a very successful canned food drive.

He has three promises: "To listen to the students, to visit all 23 high schools, and to fight for the students no matter what." Sellinger's number one priority is to expand student evaluations of teachers. "I think that there are a lot of wonderful teachers out there that need to be recognized," he says. "At the same time, not all teachers are effective." Student evaluations will help to point out both of these situations, Sellinger says.

Several students who attended the Nominating Convention were disturbed by the admission that the two final candidates had never attended an actual Board of Education meeting. "How can you run for something if you don't know what it is?," one student was heard saying at the conclusion of the convention. Despite this, both candidates look forward to being able to serve the students of MCPS.

Jeter expects several issues to become front and center by the time the next SMOB is settled in: "I'm starting something that would be passed onto the next SMOB ó I entered (a new bill calling for the) rights and responsibilities policy to be reviewed," to assure that students' rights are being respected, Jeter explains. In addition, school diversity issues and the grading/reporting system policy will be hot topics when the 25th Student Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education enters office on July 1st.

On Election Day, students at DHS will vote during one of their four periods. The period you vote will depend on the grade you are in. SGA president Kim McGuire hopes that every student will exercise his or her right to vote: "This person is your representative to the adults of Montgomery County. Choose him wisely."