Jordan-Elbridge High School student Colleen Plucinik may not want to get into government, but now she knows what it takes to be a county legislator.
The size of the Cayuga County Legislature was doubled Tuesday morning as students from area high schools shadowed legislators, Legislature clerk Lee Brew and county attorney Fred Westphal during the county's annual Student Government Day.
About 100 students from across the county chose what department they wanted to shadow for the morning.
Plucinik originally wanted to do something more involved with medicine, a career she is pursuing under her placement in the New Visions medical program through Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES.
But Plucinik was happy to learn about how government worked through her temporary appointment to the legislature shadowing legislator Loren Geer, R-Fair Haven. She and other students cast their legislator's votes.
"Overall, the whole experience was educational. I never realized what the legislature did for the county," she said.
That's what county officials hope students get out of Student Government Day. Lloyd Hoskins, executive director of the Cayuga County Youth Bureau, has helped coordinate the day's activities for several years.
"The students got a flavor of what county government is all about," he said. "It's a good experience for the students. It may just get them interested in the legislative process and spark their interest."
It also helped students already involved with school government learn how the process changes at other levels of government. Levi Dusseau, a senior at Moravia High School and class president, applied to shadow either the district attorney's office or the county legislature.
"I learned a lot about what goes on at meetings," he said. "People have different opinions. They want everyone to hear what the issues are all about."
Dusseau was able to speak up during the meeting more than he was expecting. Richard Harrison, the legislator he was shadowing, is chair of the Public Works committee.
So Dusseau got to read the audit of claims presented by each committee chair at the beginning of the meeting.
"He was good about giving me stuff to say," Dusseau said about Harrison, R-Genoa.
Staff writer Liz Hacken can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or elizabeth.hacken@lee.net
About 100 students from across the county chose what department they wanted to shadow for the morning.
Plucinik originally wanted to do something more involved with medicine, a career she is pursuing under her placement in the New Visions medical program through Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES.
But Plucinik was happy to learn about how government worked through her temporary appointment to the legislature shadowing legislator Loren Geer, R-Fair Haven. She and other students cast their legislator's votes.
"Overall, the whole experience was educational. I never realized what the legislature did for the county," she said.
That's what county officials hope students get out of Student Government Day. Lloyd Hoskins, executive director of the Cayuga County Youth Bureau, has helped coordinate the day's activities for several years.
"The students got a flavor of what county government is all about," he said. "It's a good experience for the students. It may just get them interested in the legislative process and spark their interest."
It also helped students already involved with school government learn how the process changes at other levels of government. Levi Dusseau, a senior at Moravia High School and class president, applied to shadow either the district attorney's office or the county legislature.
"I learned a lot about what goes on at meetings," he said. "People have different opinions. They want everyone to hear what the issues are all about."
Dusseau was able to speak up during the meeting more than he was expecting. Richard Harrison, the legislator he was shadowing, is chair of the Public Works committee.
So Dusseau got to read the audit of claims presented by each committee chair at the beginning of the meeting.
"He was good about giving me stuff to say," Dusseau said about Harrison, R-Genoa.
Staff writer Liz Hacken can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or elizabeth.hacken@lee.net