LHS Students Host State Representative Jim Durkin

LEMONT, IL — Lemont High School students recently hosted Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin on campus to advocate for their “30 by 2030” resolution. The school said Durkin committed to introduce a resolution within the Illinois House of Representatives and invited students to testify in support of the resolution.

The school said the proposed “30 by 2030” resolution urges the state of Illinois to preserve 30 percent of its land and water resources by 2030. A version of the resolution was sponsored in the Illinois State Senate by Sen. Jason Barickman and Sen. David Koehler, and after testimony from Pontiac High School students, passed unanimously in the Senate Committee for Environment and Conservation.

Durkin committed to introduce a version of the “30 by 2030” resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives within the next week, and invited students to continue their advocacy and accompany him to testify in support of the resolution in Springfield, the school said.

Several high schools have been working on the “30 by 2030” resolution after a Google Hangout between the schools. In December, the school said students from Lemont High School and Pontiac High School joined a Google Hangout to discuss their efforts to bring back alligator snapping turtles in Illinois, as well as to increase overall awareness of conservation and the health of the environment. Pontiac teacher Paul Ritter is the founder of “Operation Endangered Species,” and Lemont High School currently serves as host to two alligator snapping turtles.

This discussion led to the “Challenge Accepted” science summit Jan. 30 at Pontiac High School. According to LHS, students from Lockport High School, Whitney Young High School, Pekin High School, Seneca High School and Champaign Centennial High School all joined, as did a representative from Ramstein High School in Germany. At the summit, students discussed environmental efforts ranging from recycling and alternative energy sources to endangered species and conservation.

After the summit, students from Lemont and Pontiac began collaborating to write the “30 by 2030” resolution. The school said the process to create the resolution began in Communications class, which included creating Screencastify presentations on writing a resolution, as well as creating and completing witness slips for the Illinois Legislature. Members of the Science Club also shared postcards with Lockport High School students that encouraged legislators to accept the challenge and support the resolution.

Nearly 30 Lemont High School students have been involved with this project, including students in Communications classes and members of the Science Club, the school said. English teacher Patty Melei serves as the teacher for the Communications students who have been involved, while Science teacher Karen Aleman sponsors the Science Club.