Councilmember Craig Rice selects finalists for Councilmember for a Day challenge

For Immediate Release: Friday, September 21, 2018

Winner will be selected on Oct. 24 at
Council’s youth town hall meeting reception

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 21, 2018—Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice has selected ten Montgomery County Public School students as finalists for his Councilmember for a Day challenge.  The winner of this challenge will be selected at a reception starting at 6 p.m. on Oct. 24, immediately before the Council’s youth town hall meeting, which will take place the same evening beginning at 7 p.m. Both the reception and the Council’s youth town hall meeting will take place at the Montgomery County Council Building, which is located at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. 

All ten finalists will be recognized at the reception and the winning student will receive a $500 gift card and dinner with Councilmember Rice and his staff.  The winning student also will participate in a Council meeting and shadow Councilmember Rice for a full Council day. 

Councilmember Rice, who chairs the Council’s Education Committee, developed the Councilmember for a Day challenge as a way for young people to become more involved in public policy issues and to learn about local government.  This is the third consecutive year for the Councilmember for a Day challenge.

Councilmember Rice asked eighth grade students and high school students to submit YouTube videos (of two minutes or less) or written essays (500 words or less) answering the following questions:

• In your opinion, what is the most important public policy issue facing young people today? What suggestions do you have for national, state and local leaders to address this issue? 

Outreach for the contest was conducted through social media and in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools. The ten finalists were selected based on the quality and creativity of their entries. 

The ten 2018 finalists include (in alphabetical order by last name): 

• Momoreoluwa Alade, A. Mario Loiederman Middle School;
• Chloe Appel, Col. Zadok Magruder High School;
• Joshua Barney, Northwest High School;
• Tiffany Brown, Clarksburg High School;
• Darshini Babu Ganesh, Poolesville High School;
• Alice Kahkajian, Col. Zadok Magruder High School;
• Adji Keinde, Hallie Wells Middle School;
• Kadijah Keith, Northwood High School;
• Nyrene Monforte, Montgomery Blair High School; and
• Angela Xiong, Walt Whitman High School.

“The quality of the entries for the Councilmember for a Day challenge continue to get more thought provoking each year and provide valuable insights into what is important to our youth,” said Councilmember Craig Rice.  “I want our young people to know they are heard and valued and that their ideas and views matter very much.”     

The 2017 Councilmember for a Day winner, Moira Johnson from Montgomery Blair High School, had an enriching day at the Council. You can watch her experience at: https://tinyurl.com/yam3u34r .

# # # Release ID: 18-235
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Juan Jovel 240-777-7931