SAUGUS — Students from the Middle High School entered Town Hall bright and early Thursday to prepare for Student Government Day.
Each student got to participate in roles including the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager, School Committee and Town Meeting Members.
Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta welcomed everyone to start and fellow Selectmen Vice Chair Jeff Cicolini, Corinne Riley, Anthony Cogliano and Michael Serino spoke to the students. School Committee Chair Vincent Serino and Vice Chair Thomas Whittredge also spoke, along with Town Moderator Steve Doherty and Town Meeting Members Peter Rossetti, Matt Parlante, Carla Scuzzarella (Principal at the Middle High School), Jean Bartolo, and Maureen Whitcomb. Town Manager Scott Crabtree and Superintendent Michael Hashem spoke later in the day.
Student Government Advisor Patricia Prizio, the teacher who worked with the kids to get them prepared, was also thanked for all the time she put into making the day possible.
The event started with seventh grader Bianca Flores banging the gavel to begin the mock Selectmen meeting. Like a regular meeting, the kids started with correspondence, which included a parade permit for the Veterans Council, a street banner for the Cultural Council and a Seasonal Beer & Wine License for Cedar Glen Golf Course.
The students also completed a public hearing for Dave and Buster’s. The company was there to get a Common Victualler’s and Entertainment License. The applicant, represented by John Smith, played by Manoogian, came before the board to open their latest restaurant in Saugus.
The kids were heavily engaged in the meeting, each one asking questions to Manoogian while guided by the actual board. They asked questions about police details, minimum wage, the age of workers and the types of food being served there. In the end, it was a unanimous 5-0 vote yes for the restaurant.
During the meeting, 11th grader Zenera Shahu got to read the Student Government Day proclamation, the same proclamation read by the board a few weeks prior.
Near the end of the meeting, Nicholas Kohr, acting as Town Manager, read the Town Manager’s Report, announced National Grid gas main work would be happening on May 5 on Walnut Street, a real announcement made by the town that day.
The meeting ended with tenth grader Anigaelle Jean Baptiste presenting a citation to Prizio.
Next up, the School Committee meeting began with ninth grader Nicholas Shaw calling the meeting to order and taking the reins on the discussion as chair of the mock committee.
A constant at School Committee meetings is Hashem wearing a sweater vest and collared shirt. Sixth grader Cole Gosselin, who was acting as superintendent, made everyone see double as he sat next to Hashem wearing the same exact outfit.
One of the biggest discussions of the day occurred during the meeting with Nicholas Shaw going back and forth with 11th grader Zahra Ghaouta on the topic of removing the athletic fee.
“I’m all for the removal of the athletic fee,” Nicholas Shaw said. “In my opinion, I think it’s unfair that if someone wants to play a sport they have to pay a fee.”
Zahra was quick to hop into the discussion saying, “Athletics have a lot of additional costs with equipment and travel fees.” She mentioned that the current athletic fee helps fund those additional costs.
Nicholas Shaw and Zahra continued the discussion with Nicholas Shaw trying to find other ways to fund and Zahra sharing her concerns for teams not being able to afford what they can now. Audience members chimed in for public comment, going to the podium and asking questions that helped advance the dialogue. In the end, the fee was removed with a vote of 3-2.
The final part of the day was Town Meeting where students reviewed four articles and voted whether to pass them. Student after student walked up to the mic, having a discussion with eighth grader Briella Aguero, who was acting as town moderator, and Nicholas Kohr.
The students unanimously passed Article 1 to rehabilitate sidewalks, passed Article 2 11-5 for a new bylaw and unanimously passed Article 3 for new rules and regulations for trash and recycling pickup.
The real show started during Article 4, a vote to request that the town manager initiate a salary survey for the Department of Public Works (DPW) salaries in communities of similar size and population. It would cost $30,000.
That number sent numerous kids to the microphone, asking if there were cheaper options or ways to tell if people were lying in the survey.
Nicholas Kohr, with the help of Crabtree, answered the barrage of questions, and things got a little silly as he asked the Town Meeting members, “Why don’t you like the DPW?” and “Can you find a cheaper option?” It got to the point where one member made a motion to move the question, forcing it to a vote. However, the group needed a nine-tenths vote to end discussion and ended up getting a 14-2 vote, keeping it alive.
In the end, a member asked for a motion to send the article back to the maker. Nicholas Kohr nailed his comedic timing, wishing the group a “Good luck with that.” However, it was a unanimous 16-0 yes to send it back to the maker, leading Nicholas Kohr to say, “I’ll let the DPW workers know about this.”
Briella adjourned the meeting, and Student Government Day ended after the fiery article debate.
