During the weekend of March 24-26, Marlboro High School students attended the 87th annual Youth in Government State Convention in Albany. This year about 550 students from across the state participated in the event.

Marlboro Social Studies teacher James Ventriglia, who accompanied the students, said, “They did an amazing job at this extraordinary event.”

The students arrived at the Desmond Hotel in Albany on Friday and after the opening ceremony, they continued working on bills they have been crafting since the beginning of the school year.

Ventriglia said, “The first day they go into committees in their designated houses where they are and they present their bills and they debate them [before student judges from other school districts]. This consists of an opening statement followed by a series of technical yes and no questions based on their bill. This is followed by a pro/con debate where delegates get up and they either support or are against passage of the bill. It concludes with the students addressing the concerns that were raised in the debate in a summary statement.”

Ventriglia said student arguments are evaluated on the presentations they make on the Friday evening, “and that determines where they are going to present on Saturday in the chamber of the Assembly in the capitol.”

Ventriglia said students across New York State occupied the actual chamber of the State Assembly, “and they did the whole process; it was a wonderful thing.” He said the convention held their closing events on Sunday with a presentation of awards.
“All in all it was a special weekend, with long days for them and a lot of work involved; they did an outstanding job,” he said.

Ventriglia said this is the second time that Marlboro students attended the convention.

“The group of seniors right now I had in middle school when I started the program and I carried them through the high school, so they’re trailblazers,” he said.

Ventriglia said these students receive, “a very immersive understanding of the [legislative] process itself, but more importantly, it’s forging those relationships, listening to alternative points of view in a respectful manner and having the proper decorum...Everyone is encouraged to speak the first day because that breaks the ice and once they do that, even the most hesitant kids, just keep doing it...It’s a long day of listening, interacting and trying to stay mentally focused, so it’s a testament to them.”

Ventriglia said this year’s convention was very special because Lt. Governor Anthony Delgado made an appearance in the legislative chamber.

“He gave them a really great speech about how special it was that they were there and taking part in the convention. He said he wished he had the opportunity [when he was their age] to take part in what they were doing and encouraged them to stay engaged and to push for things they strongly believed in.”

Ventriglia said these students start in September with an idea, “and they work diligently throughout the year researching and reaching out to local officials, their Assembly people and their state Senators.” He said this program gets students thinking about how to reform current New York State statutes, so they have to find a law that is on the books or was rejected, “and find who the sponsors were and they reached out to those people and their offices and got tremendous feedback from them. They have been able to craft very well thought out legislation that on its own merits could be presented to the actual Assembly and Senate and passed. It’s impressive and it is a big deal.”

Ventriglia noted that Eva Carbone and Kyle Anderson were awarded “Outstanding Bill” for the Senate. Their bill was aimed at making insulin more accessible and affordable for New Yorkers.

Julia Gaer played a leadership role in the student Governor’s Cabinet and was later selected to represent New York State at the Council of National Affairs where she will be joined by fellow delegates from all fifty states. Twenty-five delegates from every state’s individual Youth and Government Chapter are selected to attend this week-long conference that will be held this July in North Carolina. The goal of the conference is to gain awareness on national concerns and issues present in government. Deni Menendez was also selected as an alternate.

Julia Gaer reflected on her experience as a convention leader. “Being in leadership, I made so many friends. Most of the leadership now knows both myself and my district. I talk with them almost every day and they are the most supportive group of people I have yet to encounter. The cabinet members were nothing but supportive of myself and our efforts. I value these people immensely and will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life.”

Ventriglia said there is a new state initiative this year called the Seal of Civic Readiness, “where students throughout the course of their secondary education can accumulate accomplishments in Social Studies related to Civics and they can get a Mark of Distinction on their diploma when they graduate. Our program is an extension of that and it provides opportunities for our students to achieve a feeling of civic readiness in a way they haven’t before. It’s a great program and is the product of what the students put into it and is a credit to them.”