Faith Mekonen to Serve as 2025-26 School Board Student Representative

By Office of Communications
FCPS News
June 26, 2025

Faith Mekonen, a rising senior at South County High School, has been elected by the countywide Student Advisory Council (SAC) to serve a one-year term as student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, beginning July 1. Mekonen will participate in School Board meetings as a nonvoting member, filling the position currently held by Megan Sawant, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. She will be the 55th student representative to the School Board.

Mekonen has three main focuses as student representative: reducing discipline disproportionality, elevating student voice in policy decisions, and the implementation of the revised grading and cell phone policy.

“One issue that stands out is the ongoing debate over FCPS’s grading policy, particularly regarding retakes and consistency across classrooms. While the policy was designed to promote equity and mastery-based learning, some teachers feel it limits their ability to grade effectively, and some students find it either too lenient or too restrictive. As a member of the Grading Standardization Advisory Committee, I have already been working on addressing these concerns by collaborating with educators, administrators, and students to ensure the policy is fair, effective, and truly supports learning,” Mekonen said.

She added, “I plan to engage with students and get their feedback through a variety of methods. I’d like to utilize social media platforms and the Student Representative newsletter to share updates and gather student input regularly through surveys or other methods. As a member of SAC for the past two years, I will use my experience to continue to gather their feedback and bring their perspectives to the school board. I believe that student voice is key for a successful school district, and I will use my position to amplify their voices in decisions that directly impact their education and well-being.”

Mekonen has served as her school’s Ethiopian & Eritrean Association Vice President; Model UN Secretary; a U.S Department of Education Youth Advisor; Harvard STRIPED Youth Policy Translator; member of the FCPS School Board Student Leadership Development Program; a State Finalist for the Technology Student Association (Forensics); Civics Unplugged Fellow; a Policy Researcher for The Perrin Institution; Los Angeles Times High School Insider; and a Voters of Tomorrow Virginia Legislative Director, among others.

For more information, contact the FCPS Office of Communications at 571-423-1200.