Ste. Genevieve High School students joined their peers from Valle Catholic High School on Friday April 19, during the annual County Government Day, where they spent the morning shadowing local government officials in order to learn more about the day-to-day activities of a local government.
Prior to the trip, students signed up to shadow the following positions:
Associate Commissioner District 1: Solange Roth
County Clerk: John Clinton
Associate Circuit Judge: Katey Allen
Coroner: Shairie Lohman
Circuit Clerk: Sara Bone, Cheyenne Bridges
Surveyor: Mason Nix
Assessor: Aiden Meyer, Tucker Reed
Collector: Vinil Bhagha
Treasurer: Aden Eisenbeis
Prosecuting Attorney: Isaiah Hill
Recorder of Deeds: Ayden White
Sheriff: Nathan Johnson
Public Administrator: Grant Williams
Juvenile Officer: Addison Hanei
Beginning first thing in the morning, students arrived at the County Courthouse and gathered in the courtroom to be sworn in by the County Clerk. They then met their assigned elected officials and spent the morning learning about the roles and responsibilities of those offices.
After spending the morning with an elected official, the students then gathered again in the large courtroom to participate in a mock trial, where students went through the court proceedings to reach a verdict. Following the mock trial, the group then attended a luncheon sponsored by the American Legion. During the luncheon, every student who participated in the day’s events had the chance to share what they had learned from their experience in county government. For many students, these positions and their duties were not exactly what they had expected; the governmental processes were far more involved than they had thought! The group finished their day with a tour of the county jail before heading back to school.