Gibbons Students Are 'Senators For A Day,' Debate Immigration Reform

WESTBOROUGH, MA—The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate welcomed more than 100 eighth graders from Gibbons Middle School on Tuesday and Wednesday for a 2.5 hour immersive, educational program on the workings of the Senate. Using high-touch technology on tablets provided by the Institute, students took on the role of U.S. Senators and worked together to build and pass a bill calling for comprehensive immigration reform, according to an announcement from the Gibbons school.

The Senate Immersion Module program (SIM) gives an in-depth opportunity for students to engage in the legislative process. Students participate in hearings, committee mark-ups and floor debates that culminate in a final vote on legislation inside the Institute’s full-scale replica U.S Senate Chamber. Since opening in March of 2015, the Institute has hosted more than 33,000 students from across the Commonwealth and the nation to take on both historic and current issues, from the Compromise of 1850 to the PATRIOT Act.

A teacher in attendance discussed how the SIM experience works into how they teach lessons on history and civics in their classrooms.

“With the eighth graders this year being focused on the civics lessons, allowing them to be able to engage in an actual Senate environment really allows them to apply what they’ve been learning in the classroom,” said Amanda Cowgill, one of the teachers leading the Gibbons visit, in a statement. “It engages them in what’s happening not only locally, but also statewide and in the high governments as well.”

State Representative Hannah Kane, R – Shrewsbury, spoke to another group from Gibbons visiting Wednesday, and discussed her own political upbringing, and the importance of working with those who think differently than you by debating civilly.

“I think civic engagement is an incredibly important part of being a good citizen,” said Representative Kane in the announcement. “By coming here and understanding how you use the power of persuasion to work on your colleagues to maybe come around to your point of view is crucial. Having the opportunity to really understand the dynamics of the room, I think, is something that these kids will take away… you don’t forget these experiences.”

The Institute’s Senate Immersion Module is offered at no cost to Massachusetts student groups, and is compatible with Common Core curriculum. Specifically, the SIM provides corresponding pre- and post-lesson plans that meet Literacy Standards as well as Massachusetts Social Science and History Standards.

“Through the SIM, students from schools like Gibbons learn how to navigate controversial issues through finding common ground with those they disagree with, empathizing, and advocating for what they believe,” said Jean MacCormack, president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, in a statement. “The Institute’s 2017 Civics Survey revealed that Americans’ knowledge about how our government works is incredibly low. Civic education needs to be a priority in order to prepare the next generation of leaders to participate in our democracy.

At the completion of the program, the student-Senators from Gibbons Middle School overwhelmingly voted 60-13 on Tuesday in favor of passing comprehensive immigration reform.

Photos and information submitted, Gibbons Middle School