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Newt Shosteck, a rising senior at Hayfield Secondary School, will join the Fairfax County School Board on July 1 with plans to improve student access to mental health services, review security policies and strengthen student influence in county decisions.

The countywide Student Advisory Council elected Shosteck to a one-year term as the board’s nonvoting student representative. He succeeds Faith Mekonen, a recent South County High School graduate, and will become the board’s 56th student representative.

Shosteck wants FCPS to establish a consistent, countywide system that makes school psychologists and social workers easier to reach. His proposal would allow students to check when a social worker is available and reserve a meeting through their student services center without first approaching someone directly or automatically involving their parents.

He said a simpler process could help students who struggle to advocate for themselves or tell others they need support.

Shosteck also plans to bolster the Student Advisory Council and broaden student participation in policymaking. To gather feedback, he intends to meet with high school students across Fairfax County, promote awareness of the representative’s role, create a contact form for student concerns and conduct surveys about specific policies.

He pledged to remain accessible and represent the interests of Fairfax County’s roughly 180,000 students, including those in elementary and middle schools as well as high schools.

Shosteck previously served as the Franconia District representative in the School Board Leadership Development Program and as president of the Hayfield High School Democrats. He also founded a political science website where he publishes articles, manages a newsletter and builds election forecasting models.