This past weekend, thirteen Summit High school students participated in the YMCA’s Youth in Government conference at the Tennessee State Capitol.ξ Students presented their bills to their subcommittees on Thursday. Three bills earned high ranking and made their respective dockets for debate. Will Baumgart and Drew Griffus’s bill to promote the intellectual cultivation of substandard performing districts within Tennessee was received the highest ranking in their committee which placed them second on the docket! Unfortunately, the bill failed in the Red Senate by a slim margin. Kellie Veltri’s bill to mandate paid maternity leave passed in the Red Senate but did not have time to be presented in the Red House. Anupam Gopinadham and Maggie Albert’s bill to mandate a civil holiday on federal election days also made the Blue House docket but did not have time to present.
Several Summit students also presented their bills in committee. Julia Hawkins, Harper Marshall, and Andi Mitchell submitted a bill to require changing tables in all Tennessee bathrooms. Clay Napier, Abrahim Marquez, and Stephen Robinson submitted a bill to rehabilitate prisoners in Tennessee prisons. Summit also had several other students participate in the conference. Rielly Bethmann served as Solicitor General, Kellie Veltri served as Sergeant at Arms of the Red House and Caitlyn Mulcahey served as a lobbyist for the education firm.
Summit represented themselves well over the weekend and won several awards. Caitlyn Mulcahey was selected as Outstanding Lobbyists and Kellie Veltri was selected as an alternate for the national Youth in Government conference. All awards were voted on by a teacher committee that recognized students with superior character and decorum. Overall, Summit had a very successful weekend
