WMHS Students Participate in 60th Student Government Day

by Benjamin Quinn

On Tuesday April 23, 2013, the doors of City Hall were proudly thrown open, for the 60^th year, to introduce a group of lucky teenagers to the various roles of municipal government.

On the City Hall end of things, schedules were cleared, fake (yet effective) budgets were drafted for the purposes of holding a mock budget meeting, and officials prepared themselves to fill the role of gracious and informative hosts.

For the students, all of the preparation had already been completed: after researching and stressing over research papers covering a number of personal, national, or universal issues, each student was awarded an esteemed position in Student Government Day based on his or her writing skills. Equipped with new knowledge and the pride of a job well done, each scholar arrived at their respective offices prepared to learn something new and enlightening.

Although each student was assigned a different city official to shadow, everyone was united under the similar opportunity to experience the job. Opportunities arose, for some students, to venture out of City Hall to job sites ranging from the Library archives, to city construction jobs, to stations of the fire and police. Others were given the equally unique privilege of exploring city hall and the duties carried out at each  respective office, gaining new insight into all of the work that goes into running a city.

Senior Nick Dalton, who shadowed Public Works Superintendent John Duran, felt that he got a lot out of the experience in terms of a new perspective.

Dalton said,“I really liked touring the old pumping station at Horn Pond. I realized how much history it hold and how much technology had changed to today’s pumping station. I also saw first-hand how much maintenance the city needs and all the efforts that go into keeping the city running so well.”

Following the conclusion of the shadowing portion of the day, every student involved was invited to participate in a mock budget meeting in the City Council Chambers. Using fabricated and sometimes satirical budgets, students discussed the validity and necessity of line items ranging  project costs to supplies, to Hollywood advisors and dignified powdered wigs for the office of City Solicitor.

After filling the role of the Library Director, freshman Alex Paladino feels that he enjoyed the mock budget meeting because of both the experience itself, as well as its overall atmosphere.

“I found it interesting to see the differences and similarities of it and the mock legislation at the statehouse, which I experienced through Youth In Government. The atmosphere at the budget hearing was a fun one as well,” Paladino said.

At the foundation of Student Government Day, first created by Donald A. Deluca in 1953, is the desire to extend knowledge of city government to a student audience through experience. As a three year participant in the program, I can personally attest to the fact that the program succeeds in accomplishing far more than the always appreciated day off from school. As someone who was, regretfully, quite ignorant of the roles and responsibilities of city government officials, my experience in the program has succeeded in making me more appreciative and aware of the work that goes into maintaining the environment which I, and every other citizen of Woburn, are lucky enough to call home.