Loriele Nix Was Sworn-in as 2022 Junior Mayor of Gaithersburg on Monday

Junior Mayor, Loriele Nix a 4th Grader at Summit Hall Elementary School was sworn-in Monday night, June 6th: Loriele will attend events and ceremonies with the City’s elected officials throughout the year.

ICYMI Our new Junior Mayor, Loriele Nix a 4th Grader at Summit Hall Elementary School was sworn-in Monday night. Loriele will attend events and ceremonies with the City's elected officials throughout the year. Learn more here: https://t.co/8iZzGhTMbA
Congrats Loriele! 🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/Id3txhNsmG

— City of Gaithersburg (@GburgMD) June 8, 2022

More than 80 fourth graders participated in the City’s Annual Junior Mayor Essay contest. Out of five finalists, Loriele Nix of Summit Hall Elementary School was selected as the 2022 Junior Mayor. Loriele’s Oath of Office Ceremony & the passing of the gavel from outgoing Junior Mayor Abeer Dey of Rachel Carson Elementary will take place during the June 6 Mayor & City Council meeting, viewable on the City’s YouTube channel.

“The City is Proud to be able to continue to offer young students like Loriele an opportunity to experience local government in a unique way,” said Mayor Jud Ashman. “It is so rewarding to witness the growth & maturity in a young person, and to know that the experience of being a Junior Mayor will help mold their future,” added Britta Monaco, Director of the Department of Community & Public Relations, who has been directing the program since its inception in 2008.

The “If I Were Mayor…” contest, sponsored statewide by the Maryland Municipal League, the Maryland Mayors Association & the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company, invites fourth grade students to submit essays describing what they would do as Mayor. This year’s theme was “Celebrating the Soul of Your Community.” Students were asked to write about what makes the place they live so special.

Essays from Gaithersburg students were reviewed by members of the Educational Enrichment Committeeand finalists were interviewed by City staff.

Loriele’s essay highlights why her City should be celebrated. She writes, “The soul of Gaithersburg is to help the people in need.” She goes on to describe some of the ways Gaithersburg helps its residents, specifically mentioning summer camps, sports, and afterschool activities like Magnificent Mondays. “I think the soul of our City is worth celebrating because” the people are “loving, helpful, and kind.” Read Loriele’s winning essay on the City’s website here.

The Junior Mayor will be invited to join the Mayor & members of the City Council at ceremonies & events throughout the year. Her first appearance will be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 21, introducing Ada Ari, author of the children’s book, “The Spider’s Thin Legs.” She will also lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the City’s Memorial Day Observance on May 30. Towards the end of her term, Loriele will have the opportunity to host a community service project at her school, in which the Mayor & City Council will participate.

Click here more information on the Gaithersburg Junior Mayor program.