Praneel Suvarna, a junior from Clarksburg High School, won election to serve as the Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) for the upcoming school year, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) announced Wednesday evening. Suvarna’s term begins on July 1.
All secondary students were eligible to vote in the election and more than 58,927 students cast ballots. Suvarna defeated Samantha Ross, a junior from Montgomery Blair High School winning 53% of the vote, according to a MCPS press release. The SMOB election was held on April 17 through an electronic ballot all students received in their MCPS email.
Suvarna serves as the vice president of the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association and is the junior class president for his school. His experiences include working with the Student Advisory Mental Health Board and MoCo for Change. He is also a certified presenter with the Maryland Association of Student Councils.
The SMOB serves as a voting member of the Montgomery County Board of Education. They can vote on matters related to collective bargaining, capital and operating budgets, and school closings, reopenings and boundaries. The SMOB cannot vote on negative personnel actions.
Suvarna will receive a scholarship, Student Service Learning hours, and one honors-level social studies credit for his work with the Board.
(Featured photo of the 47th SMOB-elect, Praneel Suvarna, courtesy of MCPS)
