A group of students from SM North traveled to Topeka from Dec. 10-12 for the annual Kansas Youth and Government trip.

The mock Senate gives students practical experience in state government, from writing bills to running for office. Social studies teacher Kayte Cormack sponsored the trip this year.

“Nothing can replace any experience where you live what you are trying to learn,” Cormack said. “It is the single most effective way to learn: hands on, real life experience.”

Junior Tyler Ruzich was elected as President of the Senate for the 2018 school year, an accomplishment he says will be a great way to finish high school.

“Being elected was another great feeling,” Ruzich said. “I have had a lot of experience in public speaking and debate so getting elected was just the cherry on top of a campaign that I felt I had managed really well.”

Out of the 80 or so bills proposed over the span of three days, 13 were passed by the student Senate.

“Students gave speeches in affirmation and dissent,” Cormack said. “They asked questions and did research. They proposed amendments and had to defend those as well.”

One bill, written by North senior Dylan Rule, was selected for an Outstanding Bill Writing award.

“My bill concerned the current Kansas death penalty and changing it to Life Without Parole,” Rule said. “My reasoning behind this was that Kansas hasn’t actually used the current death penalty in over 60 years and our crime rates are not significantly high,  so we could save a lot of money by having Life Without Parole instead.”

Though it remains to be seen whether these students continue their careers in politics, members of the youth Senate walked away from the experience with immense knowledge and hands-on experience.

“I think it is very important to actually learn about these things, as it is how our Kansas economy is shaped,” Rule said. “Big thanks to Ms. Cormack for allowing us to come on this trip and working very hard for us to have a great experience while in Topeka.”