The Student Member of the Board (SMOB) is a student who is elected by their peers to be a member of Montgomery County’s Board of Education. They can vote on a variety of issues concerning MCPS schools, giving their perspective as a student. Those elected to this position are not paid but earn a $5,000 scholarship for college, Student Service Learning hours (SSL), and one honors-level social studies credit. Out of all Maryland school districts, MCPS is one of two that allow students to be a part of the Board of Education.
Most students who apply are juniors and carry this position into the later part of their senior year. The responsibility of a SMOB member is nothing to be overlooked; while also having to attend school daily, they go to board meetings, visit various MCPS middle and high schools to speak with students and listen to their concerns, and participate in many forms of advocacy.
On February 16, 2022, MCPS elections concluded earlier this month. The two final candidates are Ibrahima “Baba” Cisse, a junior at Albert Einstein High School and Arvin Kim, a junior at Walt Whitman High School.
The main concerns on Baba’s platform consist of the following: represent all students in MCPS, especially those who feel like their voices are not heard, create an inter-school communication plan, implement mental health breaks within middle and high schools, ensure schools are ADA (American Disability Assoc.) compliant, supply better lunches and have school buildings in good condition, create more effective communication about COVID – 19, update HVAC systems, and expand the Say Yes to the Test program.
Throughout his high school career, Baba has participated in numerous extracurriculars, most relating to student advocacy. He has been on Einstein’s Track team, was class president his freshman year, participated in his school’s Student Government Association (SGA) in the past three years, is a member of project DCC, and has joined MoCo Pride. He has also “used [his] voice countless times [to] bridge the gap and raise awareness for [his] fellow peers and community.”
When asked what inspired him to take the chance to run for SMOB, he said, “It all started back in my 8th-grade science class. My friend, who was in the ESOL program, didn’t know how to speak English. I then sat with him every day and helped him out. Through pointing, showing my paper, and using Google Translate, I found a way to help.” Continuing throughout the year, he realized that he wanted more experiences like this; more resources to help ALL students in our county. He continues, “In high school, coming in as SGA class president, my eyes were opened to countywide organizations, and I knew I wanted to do something to help out everyone. I saw and believe [that being SMOB] is the best way to make actual progressive change for the future generations in this county, not as just a singular voice but working with ALL students around the county to fight for the change we need.”
Cisse’s experiences are reflected in the policies he has advocated for, including adding more resources to schools in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC), which tend to be schools that receive less funding and have more students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Baba even admits, “Organizations like Montgomery County Junior Council (MCJC), Montgomery County Regional SGA (MCR), and Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) were nowhere to be found in my middle or high school, nor other schools in the area.”
Some of the critical policies and goals Baba has advocated for are to “create a safer school environment, improve mental health, and bring more student representation around the county.” Cisse claims to successfully create a safer school environment by having spaces in which students can express themselves, which would be solved by creating Slacks and or Discords for all clubs and organizations so students can feel connected.
Another issue on his agenda is improving the mental health of students, which would include “implementing mental health time at every middle and high school, weekly mental health screenings, hiring more school psychologists, and working with professionals to make a more thorough mental health plan.”
Educationally, Cisse plans to face the issues that more lower-income schools have, such as the achievement gap. His solution would be “fighting for the revisitation of the boundary analysis, to obtain more feedback from more parents and students, and to make a more diverse curriculum.”
For diversity, Cisse would like more LGBTQ+, POC, female educators, and literary works from authors of this background. Cisse has also prioritized encouraging more student advocacy and opportunities: “I feel it is so [important] for all of us to be given the opportunity to get into student advocacy, to have the resources and know of opportunities to testify. I’m fighting for our students’ voices to finally rise up and be at the board table, having them hear directly our concerns, experiences, and how their decisions affect us, the students.”
The majority of the issues Baba addresses allow more progress within the DCC, which he is a part of. He advocates for matters he has seen first-hand and takes the following steps to correct those issues. While campaigning, Cisse stated that he did not have access to transportation and biked to share his message with students of other schools. “This is time for the students to take matters into our hands. Working together as one community, one county, towards one goal.”
If you are interested in Baba’s platform, check out his Instagram. To see a timeline of the 45th SMOB elections, check out the page listed on the county’s website.
Article by Maru Amtataw of John F. Kennedy High School
Photo courtesy of @baba4smoba