A group of Calvary Christian High School students recently participated in a hands-on and behind-the-scenes look at how state government works at the Ohio Statehouse through the Youth Leadership Association’s conference.
The students participated in a three-day mock simulation of the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch, all of which are lead by elected student officers including a youth governor, chief justice, House of Representatives chair men and women, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.
The Calvary Christian school group consisted of seniors Brooklyn Horner, Isabel Schmidt, Karlie Penhorwood, Anna Kratz and Lucy Jarvis, along with juniors Lilly Printz, Natalie Wish, Madhuri Cook, and Brianna Thompson, accompanied by YLA adviser Amy LeCrone.
Lilly was chosen to be Senate President. Some of her duties as president were being in charge of conducting session on the Senate floor, which includes recognizing members in debate, preserving order and decorum, calling for votes and signing all acts, sitting in on committee sessions to ensure that they ran smoothly. In the closing joint session, she was the presiding officer announcing those speaking and adjourn the YLA session.
Brooklyn was selected to be House of Representatives committee chairwoman, also on the escort committee for Governor Mike DeWine, and was also a legislator and a delegate.
As committee chairwoman, some of Brooklyn’s duties were to maintain and regulate the passing of bills through committee, keep conversations and debate civil during controversial bills, and pick and appoint a vise committee chairperson.
For the escort committee, her duties were to escort Gov. Dewine in and out of the state house. As legislator she wrote a bill, presented it and answered questions about it. Her bill passed both the committee and the house again this year.
Isabel was chosen as a chaplain, some of her duties consisted of giving prayer before every senate proceeding, as well as monitoring active of the senate.
Anna was a page and some of her duties were to run notes from delegate to delegate. Natalie, Madhuri, Lucy, Karlie and Brianna Thompson were all delegates and legislators.
Madhuri’s bill made it through committee, but was voted down while in House. Karlie and Lucy created a bill together, which made it through committee and House.