HARDWICK, Vt. (WCAX) – Students at Hazen Union School in Hardwick engaged in their own kind of civic duty Friday, familiarizing themselves with the Town Meeting Day process.
Students now have more of a say at the Hazen Union School.
“Town meeting is obviously a huge part of Vermont and Vermont’s culture. So, we figured why not tie that into our school,” said Fenton Meyer, Hazen’s student council president.
The senior helped tailor the Vermont tradition for her school. “I do think town meeting is valuable. It helps the voices of the local communities be brought together and hold discussions that can solve problems,” Meyer said.
It’s modeled off of Vermont town meetings, using Robert’s Rules to elect student leaders and in this case decide how to spend $3,000 for a project, among other decisions.
“I think it is a good idea for just the school. I think it’s helpful, maybe helps kids learn how to talk in bigger crowds,” said Noah Foster, 7th grade.
“I think it is like, nice for us all to come together and make a decision as like, one person. Instead of in the past, we had no say in it. It’s definitely better in giving us a say in who we want to run our school,” said Elizabeth Hess, 10th grade.
Leanne Harple, the student council advisor, says faculty want to ensure their students are prepared for town meetings in the future. “We have an aging population in Vermont. This is a tradition we want to hang onto. So, by embedding this into our high school curriculum, the hope is that students will value this when they are adults. That they will see the importance in participating in direct democracy,” she said.
Articles approved Friday included spending the $3,000 on a healthy options vending machine and voting to adopt the new town meeting tradition by holding a 2nd meeting next year on May 23.