Pilgrim, Hendricken students make for model legislators

By Tessa Roy
Posted 3/28/17

By TESSA ROY Though some of them joked they'd otherwise be sleeping, 25 Pilgrim and Hendricken students spent their Saturday morning at the State House taking part in the 70th annual Rhode Island Model Legislature. I feel like I walked into a very well"

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Pilgrim, Hendricken students make for model legislators

Posted

Though some of them joked they’d otherwise be sleeping, 25 Pilgrim and Hendricken students spent their Saturday morning at the State House taking part in the 70th annual Rhode Island Model Legislature.

“I feel like I walked into a very well developed program. I’m very proud of being known as a model legislator and I’d recommend a lot of people do it. It’s a very eye-opening experience,” said Hendricken’s Evan Storti.

About 150 high school students at all grade levels from across the state took over the state House and Senate chambers on March 22 and 25, debating and passing bills on everything from drug testing for welfare recipients, police cameras, and the environment. Before the big day, they prepared with research, committee meetings, and writing bills they introduced on the floor. Saturday turned out to be an interesting day to be at Model Legislature – the Rhode Island arm of the national Make America Great Again March and Rally occurred the same day, so chants and sounds of band music could be heard just outside where the students were working.

Allison Wallace, Pilgrim’s Model Legislature advisor, said there’s more to the event than just sitting in the seats of lawmakers.

“I don’t want the kids to think this is just a little role play - it’s something that can propel you into public service in a variety of ways,” she said.

Wallace herself said she took part in model legislature when she was in Vets High and secured a college scholarship because she had a bill passed. She also said some of Rhode Island’s own leaders, including Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin as well as Governor Gina Raimondo, were model legislators.

Hendricken’s advisor Donna Lynch also took part in the assembly as a student at Prout and was happy to see students were still enthusiastic.

“It’s really nice to see that these kids are still so much involved. It’s a great experience for them and they love it,” she said. “These kids negotiate with each other, they compromise, and they find ways to make it work.”

The students say it’s worth it too. Many received leadership positions of various committees, or of a whole house; Juliana Cameron and Isabella Zuffoletti from Pilgrim served as Chief Clerks of the House and Senate respectively. William Provost of Hendricken and Sophia Carter, who served as the Senate Conservative Whip and Senate Liberal Leader respectively, both received Advisors Awards, which are given to students chosen by Model Legislature advisors for “having performed with special distinction” during the assembly (last year, Carter’s bill that gave tax deductions to living organ donors was passed).

Many of the students participated simply because of their interests in politics, but others wanted to pursue political careers. Regardless of what they were interested in, they all agreed that being mock legislators gave them insights into passions held by their peers.

“I really appreciated the opportunity to debate contemporary issues and really get a gauge for what my fellow young people think about current issues,” said Hendricken’s Sean Noonan, who was the House Liberal co-whip.

In addition to hearing opening remarks from Cicilline, the students’ adult counterparts took notice of their work.

“We’re really proud of them this year because they worked so hard on decorum,” said Model Legislature State Co-Coordinator Louise Oliveira, adding that perhaps adult lawmakers could take notes on the students’ respectful debates.

In the House, Hendricken was represented by Ryan Murphy, Teddy Jackson, Nick Jones, Evan Storti, Max Zweiner, Sean Noonan, James Gonsalves and Tim Mattis. Pilgrim’s House representatives were Mackenzie Fraser, Georgia Testa, Edward Cascella, William Sanders, Angelina Antonizio, Kevin Dussault and Juliana Cameron.

Over in the Senate, Daniel Hurley, Domenic Villenti, Alex Mansour, William Provost, Chad Dotter, Steven Petrone, and Joseph Frezza represented Hendricken. Pilgrim’s Senators were Dylan Bowden, Sophia Carter and Isabella Zuffoletti.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here