LH students take top Youth & Government spots

Posted by: Debbie Bowley on Mon, 09 April 2007 20:07:12

Lauralton Hall students were elected to four of the top five state offices--including governor--at the competitive YMCA Youth and Government State Convention March 23-25 at the State Capitol in Hartford.

It’s the first time one school has won so many positions, said teacher Mark Allen, advisor to Lauralton’s Youth and Government Club. Elected by their peers at the conference were juniors:
Samantha Free of Stamford - Governor
Caroline Raccuia of Woodbridge - Secretary of State
Thelma Santiago of Milford - Speaker of the House
Audrey Ready of Trumbull - Attorney General

 

Lauralton senior Paula Graham of New Haven was named best lobbyist.

 

Connecticut’s annual Youth and Government Convention attracts high school students from all over the state. They spend the weekend learning about government by shadowing state officials and setting up a mock legislature that works to pass bills the students have written.

 

Lauralton’s delegation was the largest, with 114 students attending.

 

During the weekend, four mock bills the students prepared were signed into law, including one that makes motorcycle helmets mandatory for all riders and another that outlaws puppy mills.

 

Lauralton students who wrote and lobbied for the bills included:

Junior Kellie Haselkamp of Milford
Junior Erika Parisi of Westport
Sophomore Molly Viner of Stratford
Sophomore Lauryn Navarro of Shelton
Junior Laura Bologna of Fairfield
Junior Bridget O’Donnell of Milford.

 

The Lauralton community congratulates these students on their hard work and achievements.