Granby Students Spend ‘A Day on the Hill’

Last Wednesday, March 9, four Granby Memorial High School students spent "A Day on the Hill," where they learned firsthand about civics and public education. 

Sara Eckhardt, Zach Bigus, Rob Dei Dolori and Jennifer Lengvarsky attended the event, which was a State Legislative Network Program for Connecticut Boards of Education (CABE) school boards, superintendents, principals and students. 

The day’s highlights included meeting with Sen. John Kissel, a discussion on unfunded mandates, and a march to the capital. 

“It was basically making the connection between government and education,” Jennifer said, and the influence they have on each other. 

The four students are no strangers to local government, as each has a role either with the high school student body or a board in town. Sara is the student liaison for the Board of Selectmen, Jennifer is the student representative for the Board of Education, Zach is the student body president and Rob is the senior class president.

Zach estimated that 100 students attended the event, who were encouraged to ask questions that were fielded by the legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Rob said the discussion they attended on unfunded mandates opened his eyes to the crisis the state is facing with the budget.

“I got a sense of how the budget crisis has been affecting education,” he said.

The speakers at the event discussed pending legislation and how schools could be affected by the legislation. 

Part of the day also included a march to the capital, where the students were given an opportunity to visit with their individual legislators. On the way there, the students said participants chanted, “What will our children lose,” in an effort to show their support for public education. 

The day ended with the students meeting with Kissel, when they were given a chance to learn about the legal processes that occur at the capital, and other issues the General Assembly will be discussing in the future. 

“When it really started to click was after the march,” Zach said of the impacts that the budget can have on local education. 

Jennifer said the day also made her realize the significance that education has in local government, as well as the individual needs of each school district. 

“It don’t think a lot of students realize that,” she said.

In the role of a student, Jennifer said she learned how much money it takes just to keep a school running, and the effects the major budget cuts could have on a school, such as eliminating programs or sports that are important to the students. 

“I never realized before, as a [student] representative, how much money the school needs,” she said. 

For Rob, one of the things he said he took away from the event was the role that the government plays in which areas of education are funded and which are not.

“I didn’t realize how much the government kind of dictates which part of the schools are funded and how much influence they really have,” he said. 

Overall, the students agreed the trip was both eye-opening and informative on something they are part of on a daily basis – public education.