Providing a voice for the students
School board’s youngest member strives to make an impact by representing her peers
Ambika Siddabathula has dreams of traveling the world some day, but a stepping stone on that path for the high school senior is a little closer to home: Ellicott City, serving as the student member of the Howard County school board.
Ambika, 17, who attends River Hill High School, was picked for the role by students in middle and high schools during an April election and will represent her 58,000 classmates during the new school year.
“A lot of students in the county believe that their voice isn’t being heard, and I really wanted to change that,” the Clarksville resident said. “The communication can become better in the future by empowering the students so what they say is a direct impact on the community.”
The student board member in Howard County is able to vote on all issues except those involving personnel, student discipline, union employment contracts and the yearly budget — often the thorniest matters facing the seven elected school board members.
Superintendent Michael Martirano said having a student’s perspective in policy development and decision-making is important.
“When they [the student member] spoke, it was reality-based, they are living it, they are the students walking the halls, they are the ones signing up for courses, they are the ones affected by shifts in the buses and snow days, whatever it may be,” Martirano said.
As students returned to classes this week, Ambika put forward a three-pronged platform for her term: having better communication between the school board and students, achieving better representation of all students and improving implementation of school policies.
To achieve the goals, she plans to visit every middle and high school and wants to receive monthly status reports from the county’s 77 schools.
Ambika also wants to create a student council with representatives from each school. She said while students are represented by the various student government associations, there are some with ideas that “are not willing to come forward.”
Ambika said she wants to create videos detailing new policies so “teachers understand it in a more broken-down way.”
She is succeeding a River Hill High School graduate, Anna Selbrede.
“This position seemed like the best way to make an impact for students We have a seat at the table, we have partial voting rights,” Selbrede said. “Sounds cheesy, but it’s the best way to effect change.”
Selbrede, 18, is attending the University of Chicago this fall, studying public policy.
Kirsten Coombs, a school board member, said that having a student member is a “powerful way” to have students represented.
“They take the time to meet with kids around the county, bringing the perspectives back to the board so when they vote on See BOARD, page 4
Ambika, 17, who attends River Hill High School, was picked for the role by students in middle and high schools during an April election and will represent her 58,000 classmates during the new school year.
“A lot of students in the county believe that their voice isn’t being heard, and I really wanted to change that,” the Clarksville resident said. “The communication can become better in the future by empowering the students so what they say is a direct impact on the community.”
The student board member in Howard County is able to vote on all issues except those involving personnel, student discipline, union employment contracts and the yearly budget — often the thorniest matters facing the seven elected school board members.
Superintendent Michael Martirano said having a student’s perspective in policy development and decision-making is important.
“When they [the student member] spoke, it was reality-based, they are living it, they are the students walking the halls, they are the ones signing up for courses, they are the ones affected by shifts in the buses and snow days, whatever it may be,” Martirano said.
As students returned to classes this week, Ambika put forward a three-pronged platform for her term: having better communication between the school board and students, achieving better representation of all students and improving implementation of school policies.
To achieve the goals, she plans to visit every middle and high school and wants to receive monthly status reports from the county’s 77 schools.
Ambika also wants to create a student council with representatives from each school. She said while students are represented by the various student government associations, there are some with ideas that “are not willing to come forward.”
Ambika said she wants to create videos detailing new policies so “teachers understand it in a more broken-down way.”
She is succeeding a River Hill High School graduate, Anna Selbrede.
“This position seemed like the best way to make an impact for students We have a seat at the table, we have partial voting rights,” Selbrede said. “Sounds cheesy, but it’s the best way to effect change.”
Selbrede, 18, is attending the University of Chicago this fall, studying public policy.
Kirsten Coombs, a school board member, said that having a student member is a “powerful way” to have students represented.
“They take the time to meet with kids around the county, bringing the perspectives back to the board so when they vote on See BOARD, page 4
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