For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Montgomery Councilmember Craig Rice
announces 2017 ‘Councilmember for a Day’
challenge for students
Deadline to enter is Thursday, June 15, for contest
Seeking to empower young people to become
more involved with public policy and government
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 6, 2017—Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, who chairs the Council’s Education Committee, again this year will show one Montgomery County high school student what it is like to be a County Councilmember. Councilmember Rice is still collecting entries for his 2017 “Councilmember for a Day” challenge in which the winner will be the guest of honor at a Council breakfast, participate in a Council meeting and spend one day this fall shadowing Councilmember Rice.
The challenge is part of Councilmember Rice’s efforts to expand educational options for students throughout the County. The deadline for entries is 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 15.
Councilmember Rice is asking current eighth grade students and high school students (currently freshman, sophomores or juniors) to submit YouTube videos (of two minutes or less) or written essays (500 words or less) addressing the following:
- What is the most important public policy issue facing young people today?
- What are your ideas for dealing with this issue?
- What suggestions do you have for national, state and/or local leaders to address this issue?
Ten students will be selected as finalists based on the quality and creativity of their entries. The finalists will receive proclamations at the Council’s Youth Town Hall meeting in October. One student will be selected as an honorary Councilmember and receive a special award and $100 gift card.
“The response from students and teachers to the inaugural ‘Councilmember for a Day’ challenge was extremely positive, so I decided to expand the challenge to include eighth grade students this year,” said Councilmember Rice. “The earlier we can get our students interested in public policy issues, the brighter the future will be for all of us.”
The 2016 “Councilmember for a Day” winner, Angela Wu from Wootton High School, had an enriching day at the Council and met with Jack Smith, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.
“Communication is a two-way street. I am always looking for creative ways to empower young people to become more involved in government and to provide experiential learning for students,” said Councilmember Rice. “The ‘Councilmember for a Day’ challenge is a fun and educational way to get young people excited about government, and for local leaders to learn how we can do a better job of reaching students.”
The Council has created an on-line form for all contest submissions. The form can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/CMforADay17 .
Councilmember Rice’s thoughts on why students should participate in the “Councilmember for a Day” challenge can be viewed at:
https://youtu.be/uvvh5Lk11HE .
For further information or questions about the challenge, contact Sonya Healy at sonya.healy@montgomerycountymd.gov or at 240-777-7926.
# # # # Release ID: 17-191