It is that time of year again: the time for students to exercise their democratic powers and select their SGA and class officers for the upcoming school year. While many officer position descriptions seem clear, one common question students ask is, “What does the MCR Representative actually do?”

Most of the officer positions are self-explanatory, such as the treasurer, who is in charge of funds.  However, the title Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MCR) Rep is unfamiliar to many students.

“The MCR Rep is our representative to what is going on within county and state politics as they affect the students at CHS,” Class of 2013 and SGA adviser Scott Selman said.

According to Class of 2015 MCR Rep Erik Johnson, representatives discuss various topics including the budget, adding new programs to the county and the Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) at MCR meetings.

Johnson tries to make the position his own by communicating with student representatives from other schools at meetings and focusing in on the issues that matter at CHS.

“My favorite part about being MCR Rep is getting to see what’s going on in other schools, and seeing if there’s anything we could or should be doing,” Johnson said.

However, MCR Reps are not always able to attend these meetings, held several times a year. One major reason why MCR Reps tend to miss meetings is because students’ course-loads do not always allow for them to miss class.

“Especially for our upperclassmen, most choose just to get the important information from the meeting minutes [e-mailed from the MCR] because of the rigorous coursework they are taking,” Selman said.

Johnson said his teachers are generally flexible with students attending meetings and have never objected to it.

“None of my teachers have minded,” Johnson said.  “I only miss four classes and lunch each time, so it’s not too bad. “

Many of this year’s MCR Rep candidates have their own reasons why they are running for the position.

According to prospective candidate, sophomore Kyle Solomon, he is running to help improve his class and CHS as a whole.

“Helping plan events and fundraisers is something I enjoy doing,” Solomon said.

Solomon also believes that the position is important because it provides a connection between CHS and other high schools’ SGAs.