Calvert County Public Schools is pleased to announce that Thomas Ridenour, sophomore at Northern High School, was elected as the 2017-2018 Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB). The SMOB is elected by the Calvert Association of Student Councils (CASC), which includes members from the four high schools and six middle schools in the district.
Dr. Daniel D. Curry, Superintendent, said, “We welcome Thomas and look forward to sharing the process with another one of our finest students.”
Thomas is an active member in student government at the state and county levels. He is a member of the Key Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Mock Trial, Class Council, and the It’s Academic Team. He plays the violin in the school orchestra and is involved with the Northern theater department. He is dedicated to serving the students and representing them on the Board of Education.
The position of SMOB is established by the Annotated Code of Maryland. Officially, the student is a non-voting member of the Board; however, the student may cast a symbolic vote on all matters coming before the Board.
The student member must be a rising high school junior or senior in a Calvert County public high school. The student member’s term runs from June 1 through May 31. Further details about the requirements for service and the selection process can be found in the Calvert County Public Schools Procedure 1200.1 Regarding the Student Member of the Board of Education.
One of the primary responsibilities of the student member is to facilitate the flow of information between the Board of Education and students. The student member is expected to share appropriate information from the Board with students using a variety of communication methods. The student should also elicit a variety of student viewpoints on issues before the Board.