UPDATE to “Student Member of the Board Election Quickly Approaching” – March 25, 2010 – Print Edition (Original Article Below)  

The anticipated 2010 SMOB Election drew to a close when sophomore Alan Xie, a student from Richard Montgomery High School, was elected over junior Nick Maggio, a student from Damascus High School as the 33rd student member of the Board of Education. Xie garnered 73.64% of the vote, of the 64,878 students who are elgible to vote in the county. 311 blank ballots were cast, which were students who were allowed to vote but decided not to vote for either student. Students watched “Meet the Candidates” before, where the candidates both answered various questions asked by the audience in under a minute — the students then proceeded to vote the following day.  

Original Article:

Student Member of the Board Election Quickly Approaching

WRITTEN BY LIZ WASDEN 

ALAN XIE

“In Chinese, my middle name is ‘love’ and my last name means ‘thanks.’ Much love and thanks to everyone who’s supported me!”

• Supports intervention and prevention programs
• Supports student advocacy and greater utilization of technology
• Opposes inconsistent disciplinary policies

As Student Member of the Board (SMOB) Tim Hwang’s term draws to a close, students will, on April 28, watch “Meet the Candidates” to determine which of the two candidates, Alan Xie or Nick Maggio, they wish to elect.

Xie is a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School. Among other qualifications, he serves as Special Programs Coordinator for the Executive Board of the Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MCR-SGA) and manages workshops at General Assemblies. Xie is opposed to the Loss of Credit policy and is strongly in favor of instating open lunch and cell phone rights throughout Montgomery County. Xie believes his sophomore status could be an advantage over Maggio, who is currently a junior.

“As a junior next year, I’ll have more time to devote to the students – without the pressure of college applications and that deadly ‘senioritis,'” said Xie.

Although Montgomery County is lucky to have a student serve on the Board of Education, the SMOB currently does not have a vote that counts in changing or creating new county policies; they only can influence the vote.

The Maryland Senate is going to vote soon on MC 12-10, a bill that would give the SMOB almost full voting rights.

“Our SMOB needs to have the power to make decisions about the budget because students are the primary stakeholders in the educational system,” said Xie. “We deserve to have the right to vote on our budget and have a say in our future.”

The current budget crisis will definitely be a factor in MCPS and the flexibility of what the Board of Education will be able to change next year.

“When our stimulus funds dry up in September 2011, we’ll hit the ‘funding cliff,'” said Xie. “When that happens, students need to have a voice on the budget.”

NICK MAGGIO

“I love this county too much to let this position go to waste. I will work tirelessly, day and night, to advocate on your behalf and make our education the best it can possibly be.” 

• Supports student evaluation of teachers
• Supports consistency in the grading policy
• Opposes random drug testing

Damascus High School junior Nick Maggio has worked this past year as State Lobbying Coordinator for the Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils, the Education Liaison for the State Student Government, worked with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Board of Education, served as Special Elections Administrator, coordinating last year’s SMOB election and was the High School Communications Director for the SMOB 2.0 Initiative. He hopes to continue his MCPS involvement by being elected SMOB.

“I have several specific goals that I would work towards as SMOB,” said Maggio. “The key to a successful SMOB, especially in these economic times, is having strong communication with constituents.”

Maggio has also worked on projects to give back to the community. He led a Hurricane Katrina relief effort when he was in seventh grade and he was awarded the American Legion Award for his service.

As a junior, Maggio also believes he has somewhat of an advantage over Xie, who is currently a sophomore.

“As a junior this year, I have had one more year of high school experience than my opponent,” said Maggio. “Now sometimes this would be irrelevant, but I have done a great deal so far this year and have used this extra time to advocate on [the student body’s] behalf and work to benefit the students of MCPS.”

For now, even though the SMOB currently doesn’t have a vote that counts, Maggio is still pleased with the influence that he feels he may have if elected.

“The SMOB has significant influence on policy decisions,” said Maggio. “From my experiences with adult board members, they really seem to value and appreciate the student perspective because after all, MCPS is focused on our education.”