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April 29, 2004
Sanghvi wins SMOB election
Incumbent Sagar Sanghvi was reelected as Student Member of the Board (SMOB) for the 2004-2005 school year, beating Blair junior Amanda Lee.
According to an e-mail sent by MCPS Coordinator of Student Affairs Karen Crawford, Sanghvi, a junior at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School in Rockville, won with 58.21 percent of the vote. All high schools and middle schools in the county participated in the election with a voter turnout of 83.2 percent.
In order to get nominated for SMOB, Lee had to overcome the difficulty of missing 19 votes from Blair delegates after the SGA missed an application deadline. Lee finished with 41.79 percent of the vote in a race much closer than last year's. "I'm proud of how I did," she said. "I'm told it was one of the closer elections in SMOB history."
Lee felt Sangvhi benefited from his status as the incumbent because his position came along with "face and name recognition." In order to stay competitive in the race, Lee said she visited schools and distributed a promotional video. "I think the fact that I did campaign actively helped make up for Sagar's advantage as the incumbent," she said.
Lee was not sure what role, if any, she will have in student government in the future, but said she "would like to stay involved. This experience was a really good one for me. My interest in education policy has only become more intense."
During Sanghvi’s first year in office, his activities included helping to set up the Student Advisory Committee, voting against shutting down vending machines in schools and campaigning against the proposed new grading policy.
"I know that [Sanghvi will] do a good job next year," Lee said. "I hope that this election has helped him get a better sense of things that he could focus on next year."
More information to come.
According to an e-mail sent by MCPS Coordinator of Student Affairs Karen Crawford, Sanghvi, a junior at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School in Rockville, won with 58.21 percent of the vote. All high schools and middle schools in the county participated in the election with a voter turnout of 83.2 percent.
In order to get nominated for SMOB, Lee had to overcome the difficulty of missing 19 votes from Blair delegates after the SGA missed an application deadline. Lee finished with 41.79 percent of the vote in a race much closer than last year's. "I'm proud of how I did," she said. "I'm told it was one of the closer elections in SMOB history."
Lee felt Sangvhi benefited from his status as the incumbent because his position came along with "face and name recognition." In order to stay competitive in the race, Lee said she visited schools and distributed a promotional video. "I think the fact that I did campaign actively helped make up for Sagar's advantage as the incumbent," she said.
Lee was not sure what role, if any, she will have in student government in the future, but said she "would like to stay involved. This experience was a really good one for me. My interest in education policy has only become more intense."
During Sanghvi’s first year in office, his activities included helping to set up the Student Advisory Committee, voting against shutting down vending machines in schools and campaigning against the proposed new grading policy.
"I know that [Sanghvi will] do a good job next year," Lee said. "I hope that this election has helped him get a better sense of things that he could focus on next year."
More information to come.
Discuss this Article
His campaign distinguished itself by focusing on four issues: the creation of the Student Advisory Committee, cell phones for middle school students, the rights of students to have access to junk food via vending machines and opposition to the new grading policy.
Those issues represent neither a bold, nor dynamic vision for the County's schools or the role of the SMOB. It would have been nice to hear more about issues such as recycling in the school system, better communication between students, teachers and administrators, a way to address the 'achievement gap' and the vital role students can play in our commuity as volunteers.
I do not belive middle school access to cell phones or student access to junk food will create a better public school environment.
It saddens me to see student leaders side step ideals and appeal directly to the self-interest of voters.
The point of this election was to get a new voice into the BOE. Amanda Lee had good ideas, and was genuinely concerned with their implementation. Her campaign, unlike Sanghavi's, reflected no desperation for votes.
Lee was the clear winner here, whether or not the corresponding numbers agree. Way to go, Amanda. And you have the consolation of knowing you're much prettier than Sagar, anyway.
so true...
And how is 58-42 one of the closer elections in smob history!?!?!
Plus she has way better ideas than Saggykins. I'm shocked so many Blair students didn't vote for her.
As much as we don't want to believe it, we are only high schoolers and in some palces, we really don't know what's best for us. High school is still one of those times where we really have no clue what we should be learning and therefore, should have no real say on curriculum or bugetary concerns.
While the SMOB is a good idea, in practice it would be a disaster just because good policies that would help our education would be jepordized by a SMOB who pushed the student's agenda, such as cell phone use in middle schools or a once again promised double A exemption. Really, why should the board deal with middle school cell phone use? Also why should double-A exemption occur? If these policies were good for the teaching environment, the board would implement them. We really don't need a SMOB "representing our views" when we can just write to the board anyway.