Some of Ridgeway Community School's 5th graders were able to participate in the recent Winona Model Legislature program at Winona State University. The 62-year-old, first-of-its-kind program brings Southeastern Minnesota high school, and middle school students, and Winona State University students to get a first-hand experience navigating the legislative process with a two-day simulation in which secondary students serve as legislators, governor, and lieutenant governor in a program facilitated by WSU social studies education majors and faculty. This is the second year that some Ridgeway Community School 5th graders were invited to serve as pages during the Model Legislature Program. Their assignment was to carry bills between the legislative committees and chambers and to bring microphones to speakers during the general sessions. They did an excellent job working with a variety of people in an unfamiliar college setting. They met Representative Gene Pelowski who began serving as the model legislator advisor in 1975 and continues to facilitate the program past his retirement from teaching social students at Winona Senior High School. They also met Senator Jeremey Miller and Judge Carmaine Sturino (otherwise known to them as Cole's mom). One of the Ridgeway students served as the page for the student-elected Governor at this year's model legislature. It is a wonderful coincidence that this year's student Governor was Cadel Carter, a Ridgeway alumni. Cadel was one of 10 former Ridgeway Community School students participating in the Model Legislature Program as high school students this year. We were able to capture a picture with our 5th graders and some of the alumni participants as the program wrapped up on Friday afternoon. Congratulations to all the student participants in this year's program.
