Bolton Central School Youth and Government participants had a great conference this year!
When students make the decision to become part of the Youth & Government program, they make a commitment to work on the crafting, presentation and ability to argue legislation in a clear and concise fashion. YMCA Youth & Government is a national program that involves thousands of teens nationwide in state-organized, model-government programs. Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in civic engagement and literally practice democracy. The program culminates with teens serving as delegates at their state conference, debating bills on the floor of this legislature.
Every participant involved in the program has a specific responsibility and it was an exciting event for 1st time attendees as well as seasoned participants. Congratulations to all. Your dedication and hard have truly paid off!
Here are Bolton Central School’s accomplishments:
Our Youth and Government Participants presented nine bills in their chambers. We had members represented in each of the four legislative chambers.
Six bills passed in their chambers but one was vetoed by the governor. The students got to participate in a veto override process on Sunday before the closing ceremony.
This year the administrators of the program offered a Servant Leader Award to individuals who serve their peers and communities. There were 84 out of 738 students who received this award and nine of them were from Bolton Central School. Lydia Phelps was our Servant Leader Liaison this year and worked to ensure our group had opportunities to be recognized for their efforts.
Servant Leader Pin Recipients:
Ella Hens
Emma Anand
Halley LaBreque
Hannah Daken
Ian Daken
John Roemer
Lydia Phelps
Parker Shippee
Thomas Williams
Emma Anand served as Deputy Speaker of Assembly Freedom for the entire conference. Halley LaBreque was a member of the Cabinet. Both delegates worked tirelessly before and during this weekend's conference as they led their peers in debate.
Teddy Phelps, Ian Daken, Kayla Navitsky, and Lydia Phelps acted as committee chairs as part of our leadership team and also helped to make this year's conference a success.
Emma Anand and Lydia Phelps were chosen to attend the Conference on National Affairs (CONA).
Riley Huck was awarded Outstanding Delegate from Bolton Central School and received a plaque to recognize her achievement.
Thank you to Youth and Government advisors Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Soper. Also, a big thank you to our additional chaperones, Mr. Kober and Mr. Hull for all their help.