HHS students enjoy Model State Legislature experience

11 years ago

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Houlton High School students attended the annual Model State Legislature program in Augusta Nov. 15-17.
    “Over the last six years, I have had the pleasure of taking some pretty impressive students to this program,” said Tim Tweedie, RSU 29 history teacher.

    Despite the program’s success, it was almost cut due to budget restraints.
    “Of all the things I do at the high school, I consider this program to be the most beneficial to the education of our youth,” Tweedie added.
    The program consists of 180 students from all across the state, students as far north as Limestone as south as Kennebunk.
Contributed photograph
BS-modelstate-dcx1-pt-48MODEL STATE PARTICIPANTS — Participating in Model State Legislature from Houlton High School are, from left, front, Madelene Anderson, Danielle Provost, Emily Mooers, Sarah Abbotoni and Erin Keehn; middle, Tim Tweedie, advisor; Alex Casillas, Phoenix Crockett, Billy Phillips, Adam Casillas and Robby Woods; back, Connor Cleary, Josh Sullivan and Chase Brewer.

    “The goal of the program, which is sponsored by the YMCA of Maine, is to provide young people with an opportunity to learn how our state government works, and to do so in as realistic fashion as possible,” explained Tweedie. “Almost all of the students who participate are near or at the top of their class, and many of the state’s top scoring schools (MSSM, Kennebunk, Bangor, Presque Isle and Erskine Academy) send their best and brightest.”
    Prior to arriving in Augusta, students meet three times via an online program called the Tandberg System to caucus and hold elections. The students submit bills so they will have legislation to act upon once they convene in Augusta.
    Bills written by Houlton High School students this year included: An Act to Require School Board Members to Attend At Least One Day of School Per Year — Joshua Sullivan; An Act to Mandate State Support for Planned Parenthood — Phoenix Crockett; The Legalization of Embryonic Cloning for Medicinal Purpose in the State Of Maine — Erin Keehn; An Act to Stop Disability Fraud in Maine — Danielle Provost; Removal of the Open Carry Law — Sarah Abbotoni; and An Act to Ban the Use of All Electronic Devices While Driving — Robert Woods.
    “Some of the bills were written because the student has a genuine concern and others were simply written to encourage discussion,” Tweedie explained. “I can proudly say that of the 90 bills submitted, Robbie’s bill won the ‘Best Bill Award.’ This is a very prestigious honor as several past “Best Bill” winners have gone on to become law in the state of Maine after being proposed at the Model State Legislature conference.”
    Crockett’s bill was also one of the seven finalists.
    “As a three-year veteran of the Model State Legislature program, this year was definitely my favorite year. The past two years I did it were really enjoyable, but this year far surpassed them for a couple of different reasons,” said Woods. “This year, I was elected to the leadership position of Senate Chair of Transportation. In order to prepare those elected into leadership positions for their duties, the program had us come down a day early for a leadership workshop. All of the program staff was incredibly helpful, kind and informative during this workshop, and it was easy to tell that they all truly love this program. As committee chair, I ran public hearings and work sessions on bills that related to transportation.
    “Running this committee required some public speaking skills and knowledge of parliamentary procedure, but I knew what I was doing, thanks to the leadership training. I would have to say my personal favorite part of the program was running the committee work sessions on bills. These work sessions were very fun because it was a chance for the committee members to debate bills in a smaller and less formal setting than the House or Senate.
    “Another reason why I enjoyed this year the most was because I had the honor to receive the Best Bill Award. To be nominated for best bill, a bill had to follow a set of certain criteria. The bill had to be setup in the correct manner, it had to have an ample amount of information in it with legitimate references, and it had to be unique and able to stir up debate. My bill was about banning the use of all handheld electronics while driving, and it was in my own committee on transportation. It stirred some debate within committee, and I was very pleased to see my committee members nominate it for the award. I never really thought I would win the award, so when I was awarded with it during the program’s closing ceremonies, I was very pleasantly surprised. There were so many great bills this year, and they were all written by some very intelligent students. To be picked for best bill out of all the amazing bills written by these amazing students was truly an honor.”
    “I had a great experience at Youth In Government Model State Legislature,” said Alex Casillas. “I really enjoyed co-sponsoring a bill, being able to help defend and explain the bill in my committee, and then seeing how the bill was voted once it reached Senate. Just learning parliamentary procedure was very educational and actually fun. I’m very thankful that we were able to have the program take place in the State House in Augusta. Sitting at the actual desk of a Senator on the Senate floor made the experience much more real. It was also interesting and fun listening to and participating in debate over some of the more controversial bills.”
    “Model State was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” said Crockett. “I learned about politics (my intended college major) and how laws that pertain to me are made. I developed a sense of confidence from my speaking, debating and making friends. I gained a vast amount of knowledge that will help me to better understand our governmental system. It was life-changing, truly, and anyone who gets the chance to be a part of it will be better as a person and as an American.”
    Of the 14 committee chairs, Houlton High School had seven of them, Tweedie noted.
    “We also had a member of the Governor’s Cabinet (Sullivan), a Governor’s candidate (Provost who lost in a very narrow election), a Journal Clerk of the Senate (Keehn) and many other leaders,” he added.
    Before the group left for Augusta, Tweedie challenged each student to stand up and speak at least once on the House or Senate floor.
    “I can proudly say everyone did,” he said.
    Crockett was among the top speakers as he spoke 149 times in the Senate over the three-day conference.
    “In the weeks leading up to the conference, we spent a lot of time learning the intricate details of parliamentary procedure and I have no doubt that many of these students are more rehearsed at using parliamentary procedure than are some of our elected officials,” Tweedie smiled.
    “Model state for me was honestly a life-changing experience,” said Madelene Anderson. “It made me understand the legislative system so much better. I know that when I go out into the real world and knowing what I know now will make me a more educated voter, and a more educated voter means hopefully a more functioning Maine and United States. This experience opened my eyes and gave me confidence to not be afraid to speak up about an issue. It was truly a wonderful experience and I regret not doing it my first two years of high school.”
    Danielle Provost added, “”I can honestly say it was one of my favorite experiences I’ve ever had. Not only did I learn parliamentary procedure and learn how to address problems facing our state, but also how to conduct myself in high leadership positions. I was the House chair for health and human services and I also ran for governor. I had so much fun debating and fighting for my bill on Disability fraud to past. That I can honestly say I can not wait for next year! “
    “I learned everything from parliamentary procedure to how bills are passed. I also had the chance to meet some great people. One of my favorite parts about the weekend was debating bills in the House. To make things even better, we got to use the actual State House in Augusta. This made everything feel very real. I learned a lot and made some great memories because of this program,” said Adam Casillas.
    In all, students wrote 90 bills this year. In committee, the bills are given a recommendation of either A.) ought to pass; B.) ought to pass as amended or C.) ought not to pass. Within the next two days, their bill will be brought up before the House of Representative and the Senate, and just like in the real legislature, they can be signed into law or vetoed by the Student Governor.
    Tweedie felt the experience all-in-all was successful for his students.
    “Almost all of them have said that this is the best thing they’ve done since they’ve been in high school, which is saying something because the kids that typically go are some of our best,” he added.
    Other high school students attending: Connor Cleary, Emily Mooers, Chase Brewer and Steven Phillips.
    “My experience at Model State was one-of-a-kind,” said Abbotoni. “I learned so much about parliamentary procedure within a few short days. This program allows for students to meet students they never would have met before. Additionally, our delegation became closer because of the program and had a great time together. It is a wonderful program and I hope to see it continue in the future!”