HHS students enjoy Model State Legislature experience

    Houlton High School U.S. government teacher Tim Tweedie took 13 students to Augusta on Nov. 12-14 to take part  in the annual Model State Legislature Program.
    “The Model State Legislature Program is very comparable to the real state legislature,” said Aaron Faulkingham. “I learned parliamentary procedure and the bill-making process. I was very impressed with the program.”
    Houlton students joined 135 other high school students from around the state.
    “Before I attended Model State, I didn’t understand the full extent of the how the state government operates,” said Cody Woods. “I now have a greater appreciation for what our congressional members do every day.”
    In addition to acting as a legislative body, the students also had a chance to have question-and-answer sessions with Governor John Baldacci and Governor-Elect Paul LePage.
    “The funnest part for me was meeting in committees,” said Mallory Clayton. “We all had a chance to talk in committees, but it was hard to get a chance in the House. I also enjoyed listening to Governor Baldacci. I was very surprised how personable he was.”
Contributed photograph
MODEL LEGISLATURE — Attending Model Legislature from Houlton High School were, from left, front, Lucas Anderson; second row, Crystal Nason, Mallory Clayton, Rebekah Holmes, Rachael Torres and Marina DiMarco; third row, Ally Carmichael, Danielle Daigle, Tyler Delano, Isaac Brown and Cody Woods; back row, Aaron Faulkingham, Zacharia Harvey and instructor Tim Tweedie.
    Lucas Anderson attended the program twice and found interesting comparisons.
    “Last year, I was in the House of Representatives, this year I was in the Senate. The differences between the two legislative bodies was interesting. My sophomore year, I figured out that House is more laid back and dominated by a few people. The Senate is much more refined and formal because it contains more experienced students. Everyone participates in Senate and we had some great debate.”
    As a first-time participant, Isaac Brown was impressed with the program.
    “This was a great experience,” he said. “Every student should take part in this.”