Kennedy High School Junior Elected as Next Student Member of the Board of Ed

Nathaniel Tinbite, a junior at John F. Kennedy High School, has been elected the Student Member of the Board of Education for the 2019-2020 school year. Tinbite’s term begins on July 1.

All secondary students were eligible to vote in the SMOB election and 85.19 percent cast ballots. Mr. Tinbite received 74 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Zoe Tishaev, a junior at Clarksburg High School, received 26 percent.

Tinbite currently serves as president of the Montgomery County Regional (MCR) Student Government Association (SGA), and is a founding member of MoCo for Change. He also served as the MCR vice president and chief of staff for former SMOB, Matthew Post.

The SMOB is a voting member of the Montgomery County Board of Education. The SMOB can vote on matters related to collective bargaining, capital and operating budgets, and school closings, reopenings and boundaries. The SMOB cannot vote on negative personnel actions. The SMOB is not paid, but receives a $5,000 college scholarship, Student Service Learning hours, and one honors-level social studies credit.

Tinbite will replace the current SMOB, Ananya Tadikonda, a senior from Richard Montgomery High School who will graduate in June.

Photo courtesy MCPS.