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Students take over the state capitol

By John Larson

Tacoma Weekly
jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: May 15, 2008

They engaged in spirited debate on topics ranging from an official state bird to more serious fare like health care in the halls of state government in Olympia. Students from several Tacoma schools joined hundreds of their peers from around the state for the 61st annual YMCA Youth Legislature, which took place April 30 through May 3 at the state capitol.

Don Brevik, an employee of YMCA of Tacoma/Pierce County, is the local program committee chair.

He said students gain hands-on experience by researching topics, writing legislation and conducting meetings using parliamentary procedure. They learn to disagree in an appropriate matter, to be passionate and inquisitive. Some participants are a bit shy or scared of speaking in public. “They come down here and their self-esteem jumps way up,” Brevik noted.

This is the third year Holy Rosary School has participated. Charlie Dunn, a teacher at the school, said his students learn the inner workings of crafting public policy. “They all have a chance to see government in action,” Dunn remarked.

This was the first year Gault Middle School participated. Booker Crawford, who teaches eighth grade social studies at Gault, learned about this program at a conference last year. He contacted the YMCA, which put him in touch with Brevik.

Brevik said it has been a very long time since a public school in Tacoma participated.

Crawford wrote a grant proposal and received funding from the Secretary of State’s office to cover costs to participate this year.

Last November he began preparing students for the eighth grade senate portion of the program. They learned to write a bill and practiced their debating skills.

Rachel Smith-Mosel, an instructional facilitator at Gault, said most students knew little about the legislative process at first, but quickly learned how to navigate the system. “They are like diamonds in the rough. We polished them,” she said. “They learned their boldness early.”

Many students at Gault, located on the East Side, are from low-income families. Crawford noted that 92 percent receive free or reduced price lunches. Not all could afford clothing appropriate for a professional work setting. Staff donated items such as prom dresses, shoes and nylons. One teacher collected clothing donated by members of her church. A clothing store offered a discount so boys could purchase suits.

Gault and Holy Rosary students debated bills with youth from around the state in the eighth grade senate chambers.

David Vercillo from Holy Rosary took the podium to argue for having the osprey, also known as a seahawk, replace the willow goldfinch as the official state bird. One senator asked if he was motivated by being a fan of the Seattle Seahawks pro football team. Vercillo said he is a Dallas Cowboys fan himself, but feels Washingtonians can relate to a seahawk much more than a goldfinch.

The senate passed a bill making apple juice the official state drink.

Patrick Brockwell of Holy Rosary took the podium to make his case for the drum as the official state musical instrument. He noted the role of drumming in the culture of Indian tribes in the state.

“We have a bird, we have a juice, why can’t we have an instrument?” pondered his classmate Kathleen Baker.

The Gault students delved into some of the same issues that real politicians struggle with, sponsoring bills on universal health care, marriage equality and death with dignity.

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