Oakdale junior elected as next student board member
Mar. 6—Frederick County Public Schools students have elected Sam Starrs, a junior from Oakdale High School, to be their next student member of the Frederick County Board of Education.
Starrs will take over on July 1 from current student board member Mia Martinez, who is a senior at Brunswick High School.
The student member of the board is expected to bring a student viewpoint on educational issues to board meetings. They are able to participate in the voting process of the board, though while their vote is recorded, it is not officially counted.
According to an announcement from FCPS, middle and high school students participated in an online voting process to elect the 2021-2022 student board member. Prior to voting, students were able to hear candidates answer questions during an online town hall forum and read a one-page platform statement from each candidate.
Starrs' platform was focused largely on mental health and racial injustice. The Oakdale High junior has experience in student government. He has served on the executive board of the Frederick County Student Government Association and was elected class president during his freshman and sophomore years. In addition to his work with student government, Starrs is a captain of Oakdale's indoor track team.
Follow Katryna Perera on Twitter: @katrynajill
