Students in Monroe County have been hard at work learning about and participating in government. From student government members shadowing their legislative counterparts to attending presentations and participating in the West Virginia Page Program, students are engaged in the experience.
A group of eighth-grade students from Mountain View Elementary/Middle School and Peterstown Middle School participated in the 40th annual Youth Leadership Association Eighth Grade Youth and Government Seminars. The program brings students from across the state for three days during the Legislative session. Students who participate have the opportunity to observe and interact with the state’s leaders. Each of the three days is dedicated to a different branch of government.
During their time at the Capitol, students met with various officials. Chief Justice John Hutchins, Delegate Todd Longanacre, Delegate Roy Cooper, and Senator Stephen Baldwin are among that list. Former Executive Director West Virginia Bar Foundation Tom Tinder led a mock legislative session on the student’s first day of activities. On day two, Sen. Baldwin led the students in attendance in a mock legislative debate. Baldwin later shared the event to his social media, where he stated that meeting the students from Monroe County was “The highlight of my day.”
Additionally, YLA Youth in Government students from James Monroe High School met with and shadowed officials in early February. Each student was able to meet with their counterpart. The Youth Chief Justice met with Chief Justice John Hutchinson; the Youth Speaker of the House met with Speaker Roger Hanshaw; the Youth President of the Senate met with President Craig Blair.
Several Monroe County students also had the opportunity to participate in the West Virginia Legislature Page Program. This program is for students from sixth grade up to high school seniors. Participants come from public schools as well as nonpublic schools. While acting as a page, students serve members of the House and Senate in a nonpartisan capacity. According to the official program description, the program accomplishes several objectives. Those objectives include “firsthand learning experiences regarding the role of the legislators in the state.”
Finally, four James Monroe students joined more than 100 of their peers from around the state in Charleston for the Margaret Chase Smith Award Ceremony. The ceremony posthumously “recognized the late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph for his efforts to lower the voting age from 21 to 18,” according to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. Ella Mae Thompson was also honored with the date of the ceremony. The ceremony took place on Feb. 11, the anniversary of the day she became the first 18-year-old to register to vote under the 26th Amendment.
While in Charleston, the students also met with Saira Blair, the youngest person to be elected to a state or federal office in the United States. In addition, they met with Caleb Hanna, who was only 19 years old when he was elected to public office in 2018. Several other elected officials met with the students.
Today’s students will one day be the ones making decisions for the nation. These programs allow them to experience that responsibility up close. Students interested in getting involved with these programs need to speak with a teacher or guidance counselor.
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