Hello 5th graders! Last month, I had by far the best experience of my term so far!! Let me tell you about it!
I was invited up to the State Capitol to be recognized by the Connecticut General Assembly! The General Assembly is another term for Connecticut’s Legislative Branch and includes every single Senator and Representative in our state government!
When I first arrived at the Capitol, I started off in a building called the Legislative Office Building. This is where most of the legislative branch works. My mom, dad, teacher Mrs. Chavez, and Mr. C from the Kid Governor program got to come, too. I met Ms. Anne Marie Gallagher who guided us through the Legislative Office Building and Capitol. She took us to meet one of my Southington State Representatives, Representative John Fusco. He was really nice and he was making everyone laugh. Representative Fusco then started talking to me about my platform. He said that he and the General Assembly members were so proud of me and wanted to present a citation to me. A citation (also called a proclamation) is a document that elected officials give out to people when they have done something honorable. I was super excited! He also gave me a set of official State of Connecticut pins, ones you see state officials wear on TV. It was awesome!
After I met Representative Fusco, he and Ms. Gallagher took me into an underground passageway that led into the State Capitol! (I literally am not making this stuff up). When we got into the Capitol, I learned that Representative Fusco and the other representatives from Southington were going to recognize me in the House of Representatives, the giant room where all the representatives from across the state meet to discuss and pass laws. They all have labeled chairs and a person (the Speaker of the House) stands on a huge podium called a dais to call on them to speak.
Before I was called to the “floor” of the House of Representatives, I got to meet the Lieutenant Governor, Susan Bysiewicz! It was so cool to meet her in person and I even got to go into her office! One of the coolest things about getting to do this was that she gave me a special pin. It is green and on the front it said “Ella”. This was super cool because Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz told me that it was one of Ella Grasso’s campaign pins, and that Ella Grasso was the first female governor of Connecticut. Ella Grasso who served as governor in the 1970’s! This was about the coolest thing that had happened to me all day, and quite possibly all week. However, the fun didn’t end there!
After I met with Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz, Representative Fusco and Ms. Gallagher took me to the House of Representatives. It was packed with representatives ! To keep everyone safe during the pandemic, I was the only one of my family allowed to go into the room but my family was able to watch from a balcony above.
Representative Fusco led me to his seat, and I sat next to him. The Speaker of the House introduced Representative Fusco, and he stood up to speak. I then learned that when a representative wants to speak, they have to ask for permission from the Speaker. If Mr. The Speaker approves, he will say “Proceed” and then the representative has to say “Thank you, Mr. Speaker”. So, it was kind of funny when Representative Fusco said “I’d like to introduce Connecticut’s Kid Governor Reese Naughton, Mr. Speaker?”
Once Representative Fusco introduced me, everyone started clapping! It was so cool to see all of the state officials who support my platform. Then I met Representative Liz Linehan who also represents Southington. She presented me with a pin of the State Capitol. Representative Linehan told me that she is working to address problems around mental health. You can watch my introduction on the House Floor here!
For the rest of my time at the Capitol, I was able to meet other state officials including Senator Sampson, Representative Gale Mastrofrancesco, and Representative Donna Veach who all represent parts of Southington. I also spoke with Representative Jason Rojas, Representative Vincent Candelora, and Representative Tony Scott about my platform and term as Kid Governor.
It was super awesome to get to visit the State Capitol. It is definitely an experience I will never forget!
Now! It is time for the fun fact of the week! Here it is…
- If someone were to ask me what my superpower is as a human being, I would say that my superpower is helping others when they need it most! What is your superpower?
Stay Positive! :)
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