Hawthorne High School’s AP History class attended the annual Youth in Government field trip, supervised by history teacher Christopher Ward, on Wednesday, June 4, 2014.
The trip was designed for the students to experience their own local government firsthand and gain insight into what it is like to hold a leadership position. After spending the majority of the year studying for the AP World History test, the class has a vast knowledge of U.S. history and government
During the trip, each student in attendance was assigned to either a council member or administrative director of the Hawthorne Municipal Borough to shadow for the evening. The students then learned about their assigned government official’s position and what that particular job entails. Later, the students portrayed their official counterpart during an actual town council meeting.
Overall, the students seemed to enjoy the trip and being a part Hawthorne’s town government. Scott Miele, a HHS junior, commented, “My favorite part had to be being able to completely run a council meeting with my classmates.”
Before the council meeting took place, students took a tour of the municipal building and attended a brief meeting about the event. Then, students met with the council members and enjoyed a nice Italian dinner together at a local Hawthorne restaurant, Bottagra.
Junior Abby Provencher remarked, “I really did enjoy [the trip]! My favorite part was seeing the interactions between all the borough people. You would think it would be boring to watch, or be a part of, because you’re doing the talking for them [council members], but they actually love to joke and tease each other; it was really funny!”
History teacher Ward affirmed, “Annually, it is a great experience for our students. The members of the town council, mayor and administers do a fantastic job educating our kids on governing at the local level. Every year, including this one, the students rave about the experience they had. The informal format of the pre-meeting dinner is simply marvelous as the students meet their counterparts to discuss the evening’s agenda. Besides having a great meal at Bottagra, the kids learned a great deal about what would transpire at the meeting and how the municipal government works. Just a great thing for our kids!”