Prince William County School Board Appoints 2 New Student Representatives

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New student representatives to the Prince William County School Board.

By Prince William County Schools Office of Communication & Community Relations

The Prince William County School Board selected Benjamin Kim, a junior at Stonewall Jackson High School, and Tahera Hamidi, a senior from Freedom High School, as student representatives to the School Board for the 2019-20 school year. Eliana Black, a senior at Hylton High School, was named an alternate.

Prior to the announcement of student representatives, the School Board approved revisions to Policy 124, which increased the number of student representatives from one to two and established a Student Representative Senate comprised of students from each high school in the Division. The student representatives will alternate on a monthly basis sitting at meetings with the School Board and leading the new Student Representative Senate.

The role of the student representative is to solicit the opinions and views of other PWCS high school students concerning issues before the School Board, to act as a conduit between the student body and the School Board through the Student Representative Senate, and to attend open sessions of regular School Board meetings. Student representatives are non-voting members and serve for one term concluding with the final School Board meeting of the school year.

Kim is a member of the Spanish Honor Society and Math Honor Society at Stonewall Jackson High School and is a Seaperch Robotics Nationals Qualifier. He has also been involved in track and field, cross country, basketball, lacrosse and swimming.

In his application, Kim explained his reasons for seeking the role of student representative to the School Board. “First off, my single goal, would be to act as a voice for and represent the interests of all PWCS students,” he wrote. “The School Board is aware of its need for youthful thinking; younger people think differently than board members who have seen it all. I can offer the school board a new perspective.”

Hamidi is a Freedom Eagle science award-winner, and choir department outstanding achievement award-winner. She is a member of the Freedom Marching Band, National Honor Society and International Club.

In applying for student representative, Hamidi wrote, “Throughout my high school career, there are many aspects that would have improved the experience if they were changed, improved, added, or even removed. Having a say in these matters and being able to better them for those who come after me would help me gain the satisfaction of having the power to do good and actually using it.”

Eliana Black -Alternate School Board Student RepresentativeBlack earned a Girl Scout USA Medal of Honor and Silver Trefoil Award, as well as the VA Summer Residential Governor's School - Humanities 2018 Girl Scout Silver Award. She has also been involved in field hockey, swimming and lacrosse. The newly established Student Representative Senate is made up of students from each high school who applied for the student representative position.

Members for the 19-20 school year are:

Spogmai Anwar (Colgan)

Himayatullah Azizi (Gar-Field)

Jessica Benitez (Woodbridge)

Nia Brooks (Brentsville)

Teresa De Jesus Domingos-Kioza (Hylton)

Aissata Cisse (Freedom)

Rebecca Custer (Battlefield)

Sadara Funches (Potomac)

Thumay Huynh (Osbourn Park)

Benjamin Raidman (Forest Park)

Duaa Satti (Patriot)

Eric Sledge (Stonewall Jackson High School)

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