Diamond Elementary’s Fourth-Grader Named Gaithersburg Jr. Mayor

Andrew Volat of Diamond Elementary School has been selected as Gaithersburg’s next Junior Mayor.

PHOTO |City of Gaithersburg

His first appearance is scheduled to be at the State of the City Address on April 23, where the gavel will be passed by current Junior Mayor Emma Leath from St. Martin of Tours School. Andrew will be officially introduced to the public at the Mayor and City Council meeting on May 4.

The “If I Were Mayor…” Contest, sponsored statewide by the Maryland Municipal League (MML), the Maryland Mayors’ Association and the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company, invites fourth grade students to submit essays describing what they would do as Mayor. This year students were asked how they would achieve community consensus with differing opinions on the uses for a new playground.

All entries submitted by City residents were reviewed by members of the Gaithersburg Educational Enrichment Committee. Five finalists from the 87 students who entered the contest were invited to City Hall for a subsequent video interview, and Andrew was selected as the winner.

The Junior Mayor will be invited to participate with Mayor Jud Ashman and members of the City Council in public ceremonies and events throughout the year. For more information on the Junior Mayor program contact Gaithersburg’s Community Services Division at 301.258.6395.

You can read Andrew’s entry here.

About Krista Brick

Krista Brick is a multi-media journalist with Montgomery Community Media.

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