Student Government Day in Saugus

Twenty-nine Saugus Middle and High Schools students from grades 6 through 11 participated for nearly six hours in Saugus Town Hall last week (May 1), drawing a special audience from some of the best and brightest minds of Saugus local government in the first student Government Day since 2019. The students, broken up into the three elective bodies of Saugus municipal government, held mock meetings for the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee and the Annual Town Meeting. Joining them during the time of the program were the entire Board of Selectmen, two School Committee members and about a dozen Town Meeting members. The town manager, the school superintendent, the town moderator, the Board of Selectmen Chair and the School Committee Chair were all there for the duration of the program. At the outset of the program, the Town Clerk briefed students about the role and duties of the Town Clerk’s Office. There were agendas crafted for the Selectmen and School Committee Meetings and a warrant for the Town Meeting. The students were encouraged to ask questions before and after each of the mock meetings. Student Government Advisor Patricia Prizio, who spent 16 years as a Town Meeting member representing residents of Saugus Precinct 7, organized the program. She received a citation from the student Board of Selectmen as their final order of business. Lunch was provided by the Saugus Business Education Collaborative and Kowloon Restaurant. (Saugus Advocate photos by Mark E. Vogler)