Eric Lin, a rising senior at Severna Park High School, will be sworn in as the 50th Student Member of the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County (SMOB) during a ceremony at 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in the Board Room at the Carol S. Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis.
Lin will succeed Zachary McGrath, a Severna Park High School graduate whose term ends on June 30, 2023. Lin’s term will not begin until July 1, 2023, but he will take the oath early due to the July 4 holiday that ensues early in the week after he assumes office.
Lin is currently CRASC’s Secretary of Communication. He also serves on the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Student Service Learning Leadership Team, as chair of the Anne Arundel County Youth Advisory Council’s Financial Literacy and Budget Committee, and as treasurer of Severna Park High School Student Government Association and of the Class of 2024.
Upon appointment, Lin will become the 10th Severna Park High School student to serve on the Board. Students have held a seat on the Board since 1974, when Andover High School’s Jeffrey Robinson served in an advisory capacity. Anne Arundel’s student member has had full voting rights since 1975 and is the only member of a local school board in the nation to have that status.
Former Student Members of the Board have been invited back to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which is open to the public. Former SMOBs who plan to attend are asked to email SMOBalumni@aacps.org.
The ceremony will also be broadcast live on AACPS’ YouTube channel, www.aacps.org/youtube, and on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Astound, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High-definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Astound, and Channel 1961 on Verizon.