2009 SHS Youth in Government

Kenna Gupton, Suzanne Carr, Rebekah Pippin, Taylor Odle

Nichole Holloway-Smithson, Catrina Myers, Ashley Hollingsworth, Callie Young

Nancy June Inman, Emily Dean, Dawson Snow, Marley Hannabass

Lashonna Willis, Hillary Hannabass, Rachel Hoge, Kelsey Jones, Lauren White, Evan Farris

Tim Haley, Jared Leftrick, Jamee Marshall, Savannah Darnall, Kathryn Hutcheson, Leah Binkley

Spencer Bradshaw, Steven Palmer, Nick Luttrell

Nick Roberson, Jarrett Rausch

 

 

      The YMCA Youth in Government program gives students the opportunity to participate in a Model Government at the state level. The annual YIG conference is attended by almost 1,000 students from across the state. Students serving as legislators research and write bills to sponsor in committee meetings and debate on the floor of the Model House and Senate. Those serving in the Model Executive Branch research and write proposals for government action. Students who act as lawyers research case authority, write legal briefs and prepare oral arguments to present before the Model Supreme Court. These activities reflect the ideal of the YMCA Youth in Government Program: "Democracy must be learned by each generation."

           Members of the Springfield High School Government Club earned state-level awards in every branch of government at the 2009 YMCA Youth in Government program held at the state capitol in Nashville March 30 – April 2.  

To open the 2009 Youth in Government conference, a Joint Session of the model House of Representatives and Senate convened to welcome student participants.  As part of the ceremony, and at the request of the YMCA State Director, students from the SHS Choral Department performed the National Anthem.

Throughout the conference, Springfield High students provided leadership as Youth in Government officers.  In the legislative branch, Suzanne Carr served as the Assistant Clerk of the Senate, while in the judicial branch Taylor Odle sat on the bench as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Jamee Marshall served as Chief Clerk of the Court, and Kenna Gupton acted as Assistant Clerk.

            In their 14^th year of competition, Springfield students earned honors in each branch of government.  Serving in the executive branch as the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Spencer Bradshaw wrote proposals for government action, evaluated bills written by student legislators, and shadowed his “real life” counterpart.  Bradshaw also brought home the highest award for student executive branch proposals.  Bradshaw’s proposal, which would prevent the mentally ill from receiving the death penalty, was named the Outstanding Governor’s Cabinet Proposal by YMCA officials.

Spencer Bradshaw, Outstanding Cabinet Proposal

 

In the model House and Senate, SHS teams won honors for their legislative bills and statesmanship.  From the hundreds of bills submitted by student legislators, the youth governor selected a packet of six proposals to be favored as model legislation.  The bill written by Kathryn Hutcheson & Rebekah Pippin, which created a “senior alert” program to notify the public of missing adults, was named to this select group.  Another Springfield bill, authored by Jarrett Rausch & Nick Roberson and calling for radon testing of homes on the market, earned honorable mention.

Kathryn Hutcheson & Rebekah Pippin, Governor's Packet Bill

 

The freshman team of Ashley Hollingsworth & Dawson Snow ultimately earned the highest award given for student legislation.  The Hollingsworth-Snow bill, which allowed a person to call 911 to report a drug overdose without facing possession charges, was named the Outstanding House Bill of the 2009 conference.

Ashley Hollingsworth & Dawson Snow, Outstanding House Bill

 

And, for the second consecutive year, a Springfield student won the highest individual honor given to student legislators.  In her first year of competition, SHS freshman Marley Hannabass was named the Outstanding Statesperson of the conference.  Hannabass, who served in the model House and sponsored a bill to create a criminal penalty for hazing, earned the award for her superior presentation and debate skills.

Marley Hannabass, Outstanding Statesperson, with partner Nancy June Inman

 

In the judicial branch, Springfield High students continued the school’s tradition of excellence in the legal arena, with SHS teams dominating the legal research and writing competition.  In the Senior Division, Nick Luttrell & Steven Palmer took the award for Outstanding Appellant Brief, while Kelsey Jones & Nichole Holloway-Smithson won the Outstanding Appellee Brief award.  In the Novice Division, first-year competitors Savannah Darnall & Catrina Myers brought home the award for Outstanding Appellant Brief.

Nick Luttrell, Kelsey Jones, Catrina Myers, Steven Palmer

Nichole Holloway-Smithson, Savannah Darnall,

Outstanding Legal Brief Awards

 

Springfield students swept the oral argument competition as well, taking first place in both the Senior and Novice Divisions.  Arguing a case in which parents claimed that a school had violated their rights, Luttrell & Palmer were named the Outstanding Attorney Team in the Senior Division.  Darnall & Myers took the title of Novice Outstanding Attorney Team.

Nick Luttrell & Steven Palmer, Senior Outstanding Attorney Team

 

 

Catrina Myers & Savannah Darnall, Novice Outstanding Attorney Team

 

On the bench as a Supreme Court Associate Justice, Taylor Odle earned honors for his leadership in the legal arena.  Odle presided over court proceedings, questioned student attorneys and evaluated student briefs and oral arguments.  In recognition of his legal skills, Odle was named the Outstanding Justice for 2009.

Taylor Odle, Outstanding Justice and Chief Justice Elect

 

At the closing ceremony of the four-day event, one Springfield High student was singled out for the highest individual honor of the Youth in Government program.  Jared Leftrick was selected as one of only twelve Alternate Delegates to the YMCA’s Youth Conference on National Affairs.  Serving as a lobbyist at his first Youth in Government conference, Leftrick lobbied student lawmakers to gain support for important bills and tracked bills through the legislative process.

Jared Leftrick, National Affairs Alternate Delegate

 

The entire Springfield student delegation also earned praise from state officials.  In recognition of the school’s overall achievements and exemplary behavior, Springfield High School was named a Premier Delegation of the 2009 YMCA Youth in Government program.

In a special presentation of the closing ceremony, YMCA officials honored the memory of former SHS student Jenny Faenza.  Faenza participated in the Youth in Government program throughout high school and earned numerous awards and honors in the model Supreme Court, where she served as Chief Justice and was named an Outstanding Justice and a National Affairs Delegate.  In recognition of Faenza’s leadership and her ability to inspire others, the YMCA Youth in Government program officially named the annual award given to the outstanding student justice the “Jenny Faenza Outstanding Justice Award.”

Eleven SHS students are already looking ahead to the 2010 conference: they were elected to serve as next year’s Youth in Government officers.  In the legislative branch, Nancy June Inman will serve as Chief Clerk of the Senior House, Marley Hannabass will be the Assistant Clerk of the Senior Senate, Spencer Bradshaw will take over as Chief Clerk of the Novice House, Kelsey Jones will serve as Assistant Clerk of the Novice House, and Rachel Hoge will be Chief Clerk of the Novice Senate.

In the judicial branch, Taylor Odle will lead the Model Supreme Court as Chief Justice, and he will be joined on the bench by Associate Justices Steven Palmer and Savannah Darnall.  Catrina Myers will represent the State of Tennessee as Solicitor General, and Lauren White will be the Supreme Court’s Chief Clerk with Leah Binkley serving as Assistant Clerk.