Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, February 24, 2011

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Students met and mingled with lawmakers at the Capitol.

Seeing their government in action made a lasting impression on Fayette County students who ventured to the state Capitol as legislative pages for a day.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience – something I can never forget,” said Paola Hernandez, an eighth-grader at Morton Middle School.

She was among eight FCPS students chosen by the Family Resource and Youth Services Coalition of Kentucky (FRYSCKy). Joining Paola were  fifth-graders Jymie Salahuddin of Breckinridge, Locke Cordle of Cassidy, John Felty of Dixie, Erica Hanson of Garden Springs and Mikaili Gore of Russell Cave; sixth-grader Lauren Bolt of Tates Creek Middle; and eighth-grader J.D. Owens of E.J. Hayes Middle School.

After a brief tour Feb. 23, the kids spent the afternoon on the Senate and House floor. Some worked alongside their assigned legislators, and some took turns carrying paperwork to the front, fetching coffee or water, and running other errands. All the while, they watched the lawmakers closely.

Lauren, for instance, reported how a colorful, personable senator turned to “all business” when presenting a bill to his colleagues. And Paola noted the process was not always the solemn affair she expected.

“It gets crazy when all of a sudden they stand up and start yelling,” she recalled of excitement in the House.

“We’re learning about the three branches of government in school right now. My peers will be impressed that I was here experiencing what the Legislature does,” she said.

A veteran who worked as a FRYSCKy page last year, Lauren gathered lots of details, too.

“We just finished our government unit in social studies, so I can go back and share with my class,” she said.

Her mother, Pam Bolt, appreciated the students’ opportunity to visit the Capitol.

“It’s a brief introduction since they’re so young. But when (Lauren) sees it on TV or in the news, she’ll remember, ‘Hey, I was down there,’” Bolt said. “It’s a great first exposure to government for these kids.”

The students were selected based on their applications, essays about why they wanted to be a page and posters illustrating what a Family Resource and Youth Services Center does – providing everything from classroom supplies to clothing to self-esteem activities.

“They support kids who need it,” Lauren said. “You have a shoulder to cry on when you need to,” Paola added.

The FRYSCKy page program is open to grades 5-12; one winner is picked from each participating school.

“It’s a way of getting the kids getting involved in the page process, and the kid becomes an advocate to the Legislature about what the FRYSCs do for their schools and how important they are,” said Jill Blackman, Region 10/Fayette representative on the FRYSCKy Coalition.

The coalition is a nonprofit organization of educators and human services providers who come together to provide legislative advocacy, training and support for FRYSC coordinators and their staff in Kentucky.

Blackman said observing state lawmakers in Frankfort shows students one way that they, too, can make a difference in the public arena.

“They can be an advocate, no matter their age, for what they feel is important,” she said.

Resources:

Jill Blackman, FRYSC director at Cassidy and Morton, and Region 10/Fayette representative on the FRYSCKy Coalition

Students can apply to be a page through their own school's FRYSC office. Sixth-grader Lauren Bolt shared her submissions as examples: essay | poster

Family Resource and Youth Services Coalition of Kentucky

FRYSCs in Fayette County Public Schools