For Immediate Release: Monday, April 18, 2016
Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, who serves as chair of the Council’s Education Committee, will enable one high school student what it is like to be a Montgomery County Councilmember by challenging them to enter a contest that will inspire all entrants to address the place in which they live, public policy issues or the importance of local government.
Entries are now being accepted for the “Councilmember for a Day” contest in which one student will be able to shadow Councilmember Rice for a day in October. Montgomery County students who will be in high school in the 2016-17 school year (students currently in grades 8-11) are eligible. The deadline for entries is June 15.
The contest requires students to submit YouTube videos (of two minutes or less) or written essays (500 words or less) answering one of the following questions:
· Why do you think Montgomery County is a great place to live and to get an education?
· What public policy issues are important to you?
· What can County Government do to get young people more interested in local issues?
Ten high school students will be selected as contest finalists based on the quality and creativity of entries. The 10 finalists will receive proclamations at the Council Office Building in Rockville during a televised Council meeting, with one being selected as an honorary Councilmember who gets to spend a legislative day with Councilmember Rice this fall.
“I’m always looking for creative ways to empower young people to become more involved in government,” said Councilmember Rice. “Opportunities to hear what is on the minds of students and how we can do a better job of engaging young people in the political process are limited. As the father of two daughters who attend Montgomery County Public Schools, I wanted to establish a fun and easy way to get students excited about government.”
The Council has created an on-line form for all contest submissions, which can be accessed from Councilmember Rice’s web page at:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rice/index.html .
For further information about the contest, contact Sonya Healy at
sonya.healy@montgomerycountymd.gov or at 240-777-7926.
# # # #
Release ID: 16-118