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Montgomery Blair High School's Online Student Newspaper
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May 8, 2002

Mihyar Alnifaidy wins SMOB election

by Annie Peirce, Page Editor
Mihyar Alnifaidy, a junior at Springbrook High School, was elected the Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) for the 2002-2003 school year on April 24.

Alnifaidy was elected with a 70% majority vote of the total 56,900 high students who participated in the elections.

Alnifaidy will replace Dustin Jeter, the current SMOB and a senior at Seneca Valley High School, on July 1.

Alnifaidy’s experience includes being class president during his freshmen and sophomore year, participating in lacrosse, football, and cross-country teams, B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S. (Brothers Out To Help Each Reach Success), the Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MCR), and the Montgomery County Student Environmental Activists (MCSEA).

Social studies teacher David Swaney and his student teacher Jonathan Smith said their students ridiculed the nervous twitch of Alnifaidy’s opponent, Alex Sellinger, during the videotaped interviews shown to students prior to the elections. Swaney and Smith attribute Alnifaidy’s win against Walt Whitman student, Alex Sellinger, more to Alnifaidy’s appearance than his message. “He came across as more comfortable on camera without any nervous ticks," said Swaney.

Alnifaidy’s campaign promises include, first, to represent the views and suggestion of Montgomery County students. He also plans to stress recycling in all schools and support and encourage middle school students so they will have better success in high school. He plans to implement a double “A" exemption bill and lobby for more computers in schools and classrooms. He also encourages signature and magnet programs as well as increased parent involvement in school decisions. He also promises to “strive" for schools to offer more career-oriented courses that will give students more opportunities to succeed in the business economy.

According to social studies teacher Jeffrey Newby, only 68% of the Blair student population was given an opportunity to vote (See relevant story in the print edition of Silver Chips available May 23).

To read a Montgomery Gazette story praising Alnifaidy’s diverse background, see Springbrook's school board candidate has international background, an article written in April by Terrie Heartley.
Mihyar Alnifaidy encourages students to contact him through his email at ATTi2ds@AOL.COM.



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  • KliQ on May 8, 2002
    That dude won?!?!!? And with 70% of the vote no less. Hmmm, I was pretty sure the other guy was going to win. I guess ya win some, ya lose some.
  • lkhjgljhf on May 8, 2002
    At our school, no one knew anything about the candidates except that Alex Sellinger "Hacked it up on the golf course."
  • dude on May 8, 2002
    He was probably better on camera because he was on the Springbrook morning announcement TV show for three years.
  • Harry on May 9, 2002
    Has anybody noticed that the candidates are really really all the same. On evey issue they have the same opions and every thing. And it's been like that for quite a while. I found Alex Sellinger a better candidate because he had something new, more counslers. I don't know if that would work or not but I do know what they have been doing has not worked so it is a good idea to try something new.
  • Mr Newby (View Email) on May 9, 2002
    The story incorrectly quotes me as saying that only 68% of the students were given the opportunity to vote. The fact is 68% of students did vote. Many were given the opportunity but decided not to vote.
  • just a student on May 10, 2002
    I didn't even get to see the video.
  • Harry on May 10, 2002
    So what percentage chose not to vote?
  • Mai on May 11, 2002
    I knew it..i knew that black dude would win cuz he looked pretty nice and comfortable on TV, unlike the other guy with his twitch. LOL.
  • Paulo on May 13, 2002
    The black guy won it's about time. We need a black candidate. Alex coming to our school did no good for me and my freind. I didn't even vote. Alex didn't have to come to our school noone wanted to vote for him. He's looks like he will be pitifull. But the black dude looks like he will be good. Next time I better vote. Mrs. Bryant I'm talking to you
  • Chris Mulligan (View Email) on May 14, 2002
    I think it's important to note the decision of the students is actually fairly minor. First ThePowersThatBe™ chose which 2 they'd be happy with, then they get to run. Very democratic, eh?
  • dude on May 14, 2002
    Dustin Jeter was black too.
  • Harry on May 15, 2002
    Yea Chris, I have said that before the result of the selection of candiates is that you have two nearly idenical canditis whose main diffrence is the name and skin color.
  • Jeremy Hoffman (View Email) on May 17, 2002
    I've noticed the same thing as Chris: we get to pick from two candidates that have already been decided by others. Kind of like the presidential election... except there we have two separate parties selecting a candidate instead of one group selecting both. Perhaps we should partisan-ize the Board of Education.
  • Jinny Jang (View Email) on May 22, 2002
    I am an active member of the Montgomery County Region (the county SGA) and the Special Elections Committee that conducted this election. Your school should have announced to every single student for at least three days that they had the opportunity to attend the Nominating Convention--where the two students were chosen. Your school had approximately 14 or 15 (I think) that could have come, based upon population. It truly is a democratic process. Somebody in your school choose not to give you that opportunity to you. (Nobody from Blair was at the Nominating Convention.) This really proves that everything does matter. If you want to have a difference in who your classmates vote for next year, make a difference in your SGA and make sure they understand how important this is.

    Also, every single student should have been given ample time to vote for the Student Member on the Board. This is a public election established by the Maryland General Assembly and the Montgomery County Public School Board of Education.
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