Three 11th-grade students remain in the running to be named the 2014-2015 student member of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education after a panel whittled the list from seven who submitted applications for the post.
The finalists are:
- Ayesha Chaudhry, South River High School
- Camilla Shanley, North County High School
- Christopher Umanzor, Old Mill High School
The Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) election is sponsored by the Chesapeake Regional Association of Student Councils (CRASC). The student member is appointed by the Governor and serves a one-year term during his or her senior year of high school, and receives a $6,000 college scholarship. Anne Arundel’s student member is the only one in the nation on a local Board of Education with full voting rights.
The number of initial applicants necessitated interviews as called for by the CRASC constitution to narrow the field to three. As required by the CRASC constitution, the interviews were conducted by a three-member panel consisting of current student Board member Else Drooff of Broadneck High School, CRASC President Kara Ritterpusch of Chesapeake High School, and AACPS Administrator of Student Leadership Development Aimee Poisson.
The three finalists will participate in a Candidates Night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on March 19, 2014, in the cafeteria of the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis.
Elections to determine the candidate whose name will be forwarded to the governor for appointment will take place on April 1, 2014, at the CRASC General Assembly meeting.
CRASC’s Constitution and Bylaws call for high schools and middle schools in the county to be allotted a predetermined number of delegates, based on each school’s enrollment, at the election. Delegates will represent student government, the arts, athletics, and other extracurricular activities.