ORRHS Juniors Become Senators-in-Training

This past Wednesday, members of the junior class at ORRHS enrolled in Honors and AP U.S. History took a field trip to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston.

Opened to the public at the end of March 2015, the institute aims to introduce students to the roles the Senate plays in the government, as well as exploring and encouraging participation in democracy.

This was accomplished in the form of a mock debate held on a model floor of the U.S. Senate. Complete with a replica layout and furnishings, the space allows students to fully immerse themselves in the roles of state senators as they worked together to create a bill to remedy the wage gap in the United States.

“Being a senator for a day was different than being a student at ORR,” Madisen Martin from Rochester said. “I learned a lot about how the Senate works.”

“I never had much interest in the Senate before I went, but it was a lot of fun, especially with the interactive parts,” Lauren Gonsalves of Marion added.

Seth Bushnell, a history teacher at the high school who led the field trip, spoke on the benefits of the experience.

“The charge we face in social studies is to prepare students to become active participants in democracy,” Bushnell explained. “This means not only learning historical skills and gaining an understanding of the world they live in, but engendering a spirit of community activism and a realization that we can all make a difference. The Kennedy Institute helps accomplish both of these goals. It’s a great civics lesson.”

The Senate Immersion Module exhibit at the Kennedy Institute allowed for an interactive lesson in civics to take place. After being sworn in as senators, students participated in nominee and subcommittee hearings to add to their bill before debating its contents. The activity completed with a roll call vote on the final version of the bill.

“It gave us students a hands-on activity that helps us better grasp how our government works, how laws are decided to be passed or rejected, and how long it can take with an explanation why,” Alisha Mackin, a Rochester junior, said.

What was introduced at the Institute was built upon in the classes afterwards, in the form of a miniature mock Senate discussion.

“I took my classes to the computer lab to do some in-depth research on the bill we debated at the Institute to see what kind of arguments they could make for or against it,” Bushnell explained. “Then we returned to the classroom and held a debate and a vote on the bill based on a greater understanding of the issues involved and using the Senate rules of decorum we learned on the replica Senate floor.”

The students received the trip positively, with several saying that the Senate simulations gave more insight into their history courses.

“It helped with a deeper understanding,” Jake Thompson from Rochester stated, adding that he thought the trip was a good idea.

Mackin agreed. “It did help me better understand topics in history class, but more with modern day government.”

“As I walked through the museum, I kept finding references to names I heard of in class or events that made huge impacts in the course of history,” Gonsalves elaborated. “It definitely helped me to connect the dots between what I’ve been learning lately, and now I feel like I really understand some of the more important words.”

Similar reactions have made their way back to Bushnell.

“Many of my students have come to me and mentioned how much they enjoyed the trip,” Bushnell said.

The experience has encouraged Bushnell to plan further student visits to the museum.

“I am looking to take the other half of the junior class in March, and I would like to make this trip an annual adventure for eleventh graders,” he said.

By Jo Caynon

 

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