Arvin Kim, a rising senior at Walt Whitman High School, was sworn in as the 45th Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) earlier this month. Kim was sworn in by Karen Bushell, Chief Deputy Clerk, Montgomery County Circuit Court.
Mr. Kim was elected to serve a one-year term on the Board by MCPS middle and high school student. He received 58.7 percent of the vote in the April 20, 2022, election.
In the past five years, Mr. Kim has served as vice president of the countywide Middle School Student Government Association and treasurer and chief of staff for the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association. He has advocated for students on issues including increased funding, mental health days, and safer schools at the national, state and local levels. He has served as a director on the SMOB Advisory Cabinet. He is also a founding member of MoCo Pride Youth, a certified workshop presenter for the Maryland Association of Student Councils and vice president of the Asian American Progressive Student Union.
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.
Mr. Kim succeeds Ms. Hana O’Looney, a 2022 graduate of Richard Montgomery High School.
For more information, visit the Student Member of the Board website.
