In recent government classes, students seriously took on their roles as Supreme Court Justices as they heard oral arguments in the case Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972). With "order" on one side, and "freedom" on the other, the case explored whether an Amish family could remove their children from high school for religious reasons.
Senior Cassandra Naife delivered a fascinating presentation about her native country of Mozambique to about 18 students in Government & Politics class on November 15. Naife is an exchange student at Woodstock through the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.
In 13-slides, and through a student question period, Naife shared information about Mozambique’s history, government, economy, language, culture, and cuisine. Naife emphasized that her country is ethnically diverse, and heavily influenced by Portugal, which first colonized Mozambique in the early 1500s. Link to the presentation.
Naife also shared her first impressions of the United States, including her amazement at the size of food portions at restaurants. -Steve Smith
“My esteemed colleague from Wisconsin is not representing the will of the people!” said Ada Mahood during a mock Senate activity at the Kennedy Institute for the Senate in Boston, Massachusetts on October 19. Mahood was one of 29 juniors in AP Government & Politics to immerse themselves in the role of our nation’s Senators in the experience sponsored by the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders.
The day included committee work, robust debate, and ultimately a vote on a practical law to address climate change. Students were assigned different political parties and regions of the country to represent.
Prior to the activity, students met with James Paradissis, outreach representative for Senator Sanders. Paradissis listened to student comments and questions about issues such as inflation, climate change, income inequality, abortion access, and the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.
Congratulations to Junior Leah Kuhnert, a finalist in the 13th Annual Bernie Sanders State of the Union Essay Contest. The contest drew essays from 382 students from 31 Vermont high schools. Leah wrote about climate change and industrial agriculture, and she shared her ideas with Senator Sanders and fellow finalists during a round table discussion in Montpelier last Saturday. After the event, Leah and her parents were interviewed by ABC 22 news. Leah’s essay will be sent to the Congressional Record.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to have a direct connection with someone who could make large-scale changes for high school students. And it’s something that I think should be done more often.”
