Annual tradition gives students a dose of city service

LYNN – Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy fired a quick question Tuesday at Student Mayor Andrew Blocksidge after explaining how her political career began with a run for school committee in 1991.”Were you born yet?” she asked Blocksidge.”No ? 1995,” replied the Classical High School senior.Blocksidge likes to play the bass and he is thinking about studying pharmacy in college, but he spent Tuesday walking around with Kennedy as she dug into office work and checked out the backstage area in Veterans Memorial Auditorium.She showed him a stack of congratulatory letters she sends out regularly to Lynn”s newest parents and explained how technology allows her and aides Jamie Cerulli and Mary Fountain to coordinate schedules without conversing.Kennedy also attended Classical and recalled serving as student school superintendent 32 years ago.”They spelled it ‘superintendent’ on my name tag,” she said.Student Government Day is an annual ritual pairing students like Blocksidge from four local high schools with City Council and School Committee members, School Department and city department heads and the mayor.Guidance counselor recommendations and class rankings helped assemble the group of about 60 students who fanned out across the city Tuesday with their real-life counterparts. English High School student Joshua Michel said his student government interest began at English where he is a senior class vice president.”I just want to help out my class,” he said.Michel spent the day shadowing city Veterans Director Michael Sweeney while Blocksidge got a lesson in city history mixed in with a close-up look at Kennedy’s job. The city’s first woman mayor explained how the exodus of two women from the School Committee prompted her to run for office as a political novice.Blocksidge is ranked 19th in his class and he is eying Merrimack College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Boston University as potential schools.When Blocksidge mentioned his interest in history, Kennedy spoke with admiration about former mayors Thomas P. Costin Jr. and Arthur Frawley, who served as acting mayor during World War II while former Mayor Albert Cole fought for his country.”I can only imagine how difficult it was to serve with so many young men and women going off to war and knowing not all of them would come back,” Kennedy said.Blocksidge’s student City Council counterparts prepared 11 orders for debate among the student councilors Tuesday ranging from scheduling free summer activities on Lynn Common to after-school gymnasium use and hosting a city-wide talent show.”Be proud of our city and how great it is,” development director and former Council President James Cowdell reminded the students, adding, “We look at you and see how bright our future is.”Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].