Student Government Day
Union High School (UHS) students recently visited the Municipal Building to gain firsthand experience on how local government works. The program, which has taken a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, assigns students in AP United States Government and Politics, AP Comparative Government and Politics and Public Relations classes to shadow the Mayor and Committee members, as well as various department heads.
“My favorite part of the day was exposing the students to our Police and Fire Departments and to see what goes on behind the scenes and the intricacies of it all,” said Mayor Manuel Figueiredo. “I think they learned a lot, and it’s great to see their faces when they’re like, ‘wow, that’s what happens.’”
The classes, which are led by Christopher Faraone and assisted by Anthony DeRosa and Jonathan Jeklinski, offer students a unique perspective inside Town Hall, and also a chance to get out of the classroom.
“It’s exceedingly prideful and special to see our students interact with government officials and to take on the roles that they do on a daily basis,” said Christopher Faraone, a social studies teacher at Union High School. “Community, town and country are important concepts in the current world, and having our students learn about levels of government and different things that happen in society are important features.”
At the end of the day, students had the opportunity to run a Township Committee meeting and pass ordinances.
“I think we learned a lot today, mostly about the day-to-day activities that go on around town,” said Jelani Beaugris, who shadowed the Township Committee for the day. “It was great to see how much our politicians really do care about the people. I feel like nowadays we don’t really see that a lot.”
Photo by Township of Union
