Brookhaven High student Bryce Smith is one of 12 high school sophomore/rising juniors selected by the Mississippi State Board of Education as semifinalists for the 2022-23 SBE junior representative position.

The SBE student representative program includes one high school junior and one high school senior who serve as non-voting SBE members and provide input on policy decisions that affect Mississippi public schools. The current SBE junior representative is Micah Hill of Laurel High School, and she will serve as the senior representative in 2022-23.

The SBE received 35 applications for the 2022-23 SBE junior representative position. All 12 semifinalists will automatically become members of the State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council for the 2022-23 school year. The School Performance and Accountability Subcommittee of the SBE will conduct semifinalist interviews in April and name up to four finalists for interviews with the SBE. The appointment of the junior representative will be made at an SBE meeting June 15.

Student representatives are responsible for attending monthly SBE meetings and any standing committees or subcommittees to which they are assigned. Student representatives are excused from school to attend SBE meetings as official school business.

The SBE adopted a policy in 2018 outlining the criteria for adding student representatives to the State Board. The other semifinalists are: Charlie Fruge’ of Oxford High School; Karastan Gamble of North Pontotoc H.S.; Omair Jamil of DeSoto Central H.S.; Kathryn Newman of Ethel Attendance Center in Attala County; Madison Payne of Gulfport H.S.; Zachary Rifkin of Oak Grove H.S.; Camryn Robertson of Northwest Rankin H.S.; Jared Smith of Long Beach H.S.; Benjamin Torrey of Northwest Rankin H.S.; John Walker of Starkville H.S.; and Kaelyn Welch of Pass Christian H.S.