Published: May 10, 2008 11:09 pm            

Legislative Day

• Stillwater Junior High students learn how government works

On May 2, 10 eighth grade students from Stillwater Junior High participated in the first seventh and eighth grade Legislative Day at the Capitol in Oklahoma City. It was an exciting opportunity to learn how government works and the impact that individuals can have.

Before attending this event, students studied the legislative branch of government and learned how a bill becomes a law. Students then researched issues and wrote their own bills on issues as varied as urban sprawl, childhood vaccinations and limiting the number of students on a school bus.

The students then went to the Capitol for Legislative Day where they were welcomed by Lt. Gov. Jari Askins. They then broke into committees to discuss and present their bills. The bills which were passed out of the committees were then argued on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The students sat in legislators’ desks and presented and debated their bills. When the legislative session ended, there was an awards ceremony. Judith Prenzlow won an award for Outstanding Bill Presentation and Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan won an award for Outstanding Legislative Delegate. After the day’s activities were concluded, students and their sponsors, Trixy Barnes and Drew Gossen, went for dinner in Spaghetti Warehouse in Bricktown.

Stillwater Junior High School students and their bills: Logan Fain, Classroom Control Act; Brian Ghiselli, Required Physical Education; Ethan Rex, Driving with a Revoked License; Ashley Prince, School Lunch Nutritional Improvement; Maria Stroukoff, Cell Phone Use While Driving; Anushka Raje, Cigarette Warning Labels; Robin Clower, Solar Panel Reimbursement Act; Alfa Abame, The Number of Students on School Buses; Judith Prenzlow, Limiting Urban Sprawl; Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan, Vaccination Information Act.

        

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