posted Apr 6, 2016, 5:40 AM by Erik Arnold
On Friday, April 1, Ms. Olesen brought two students to Boston to participate in the 69th annual Student Government Day at the State House in Boston. Jeffrey Taylor and Jake Vitali were elected by their peers to represent IACS for this educational experience.
Here is a description of the event that is from the DESE website:
In 1947, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted a program called Student Government Day (originally Good Government Day) which is traditionally held on a Friday in April. This is an informative program about state government, that includes students participating in the role of elected or appointed officials to "observe the processes of government." The program provides educators and students from Massachusetts's public and private high schools with many opportunities to learn first hand about state government. It enables government officials to have contact with students. It allows students to voice their positions on important current issues through prepared debates. It enables students to participate in the legislative process through simulated committee hearings and House and Senate formal sessions. It provides the opportunity for students to exchange views with their peers throughout the state on statewide issues.
This year the students debated the following two mock bills: (1)House Bill No. 2023 — An Act to prohibit the sale of "energy drinks" to persons under the age of 18, and (2)Senate Bill No. 1024 — An Act to establish a living wage for employees of big box retail stores and fast food chains. Here is how Jake Vitali described his experience: "I thought it was an incredible experience and was honored just to be there on behalf of IACS. Having the chance to hear from lawmakers and the lieutenant governor about why they want to serve others, made me reflect on why I am motivated to be involved with politics. I thought it was fun to debate the two bills up for consideration, and I was inspired by the passion in which other students spoke on them. As someone will be studying Political Science next year and wants to be a lawmaker in the future, it was beneficial to see how our government operates, and the difficulty lawmakers are faced with. I strongly recommend the experience of Student Government Day to anyone interested in government, who shares my passion for politics, and wants to get a real opportunity to not only see, but be apart of the legislative process in action. Being a part of this event excites me for the chance to serve in our government for real down the road."
Caption: Jake providing testimony on Senate Bill 1024
Thank you to Ms. Olesen for supervising the students and thanks to both Jeffrey and Jake for representing IACS so well.
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