Blair student selected as MCPS Student Member of the Board Finalist for the first time since 2005

SMOB finalists

Photo: Sam Ross and Praneel Survana were elected as the finalists for the 2024-25 SMOB.

Sam Ross and Praneel Survana were elected as the finalists for the 2024-25 SMOB.

On Wed., Feb. 14, the MCPS Special Elections Committee announced Clarksburg High School junior Praneel Survana and Blair High School junior Samatha Ross as the two finalists in the Student Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education (SMOB) election. After each of the eight candidates delivered one-minute speeches and participated in a question-and-answer session, more than 400 student delegates elected Ross and Suvarna.

In the past, most SMOBs have attended high schools in upcounty clusters. Seven of the last eight SMOBs have attended either Richard Montgomery HS, Walt Whitman HS, Sherwood HS, or Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS. Ross (the first SMOB finalist from Blair since 2005) and Suvarna both attend schools in regions that have been historically underrepresented in the SMOB position.

Ross and Suvarna will dedicate the following weeks to their campaigns, aiming to be the elected representative of over 160,000 MCPS students. The election will be held on April 17 in English classes.

Stay tuned for further coverage and voter guides for the 2024 SMOB election.