On Wednesday June 7, several Hawthorne High School students were privileged enough to be a part of Youth and Community Day. There is another article about Youth and Community Day on the Clarion regarding the Board of Education, but this event was about the Borough of Hawthorne’s own government. Each student who applied for Youth and Community Day that was chosen was assigned to a government member to shadow.

Right before last period on Youth and Community Day, the participating students made their way over to the municipal building. The Borough Clerk, Lori DiBella, instructed the students on the evening ahead and gave them a brief overview of how the Hawthorne government functions. Following her speech, the other government members, along with Mayor Richard S. Goldberg himself, gave input and additional information.

Once dismissed from the municipal building, the students and their counterparts met up at Bottagra for dinner later that evening. Over a delicious dinner, the government board discussed their reports with their counterparts and instructed the students on what they were responsible for at the meeting that followed dinner.

At that very meeting, each student read their government board counterpart’s report and fulfilled the duties of their position. The student council members moved and seconded motions, sophomore Elizabeth Fitter read as the Borough Clerk, junior Carter Mascis read as Council President John N. Bertollo, and junior Nick Forsythe read as the Mayor himself.

There were many more positions and each student absolutely took home an unforgettable experience. These valuable events offer a very interesting and informative background for HHS students, for which they are very grateful. We all enjoyed learning about and getting to know our counterparts, and those of us with more years at Hawthorne High School look forward to more Youth and Community Day opportunities.