HATFIELD — As a high school junior, Smith Academy student Anna Tunstall participated in a faith-based outreach program providing food and clothing to homeless people in downtown Holyoke, her hometown.
Using this experience in volunteering and becoming civically engaged, Tunstall, now a senior, presented one of the winning speeches for the annual Student Government Day at the State House in Boston. She was selected as the top speaker for the state attorney general role, advocating for improving the required community service component for public school students by extending it beyond 8th grade.
“High school students have stronger connections to their personal values, beliefs and the needs of their community,” Tunstall said in her talk, observing that younger students may focus on their own direct needs, such as better school lunches, rather than the larger community. “A project driven by the actual needs of people is more successful than a project driven by personal beliefs because it impacts a whole group of people, not just one person.”
In addition, having older students commit to civics work would pay other dividends, she said.
“High school students are more likely to be listened to by those who hold the levers of power due to their higher levels of confidence and demonstrated competencies,” Tunstall said. “When people are successfully civically engaged it becomes a pattern that lasts a lifetime.”
The award-winning speech placed Tunstall in the legislative chambers on April 10, where she and three other students in the AP U.S. Government class taught by John Garrett spent the day at the state’s capital.
Founded in 1947, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education describes it as “an informative program about state government, that includes students participating in the role of elected or appointed officials to ‘observe the processes of government.'”
Garrett said Smith Academy students have been active in Student Government Day for many years and, while most of the classroom study is focused on national politics, it is good for students to see all forms of government. Garrett observes that the Massachusetts Legislature is analogous to the U.S. Congress and the commonwealth’s Constitution served as an inspiration for the U.S. founders.
Tunstall, who was chosen as the delegate to play the attorney general role, is quick to credit her three classmates who joined her, fellow seniors Emma Tisdell, Kate McCollough and Kerin Guimond, for drafting the text of the two-minute speech.
“We all wrote it together as a class,” Tunstall said. “I wouldn’t have done it without my friends.”
While the students knew they would be participating in the day as part of the classroom assignment, it wasn’t until March that the two prompts were received from the organizers of Student Government Day, with the class choosing civic engagement rather than how genocide should be taught in schools
“It was definitely stressful when writing the speech in class, but everyone made suggestions and helped it go smoothly,” Tunstall said.
“Writing about personal experience with volunteers shows the impacts, the community benefit, and how everyone, how high-school students, can make a difference in the community,” Tunstall added.
Before going to Boston, the students made a recording of the two-minute speech in the classroom, with Tisdell handling the cinematography that was submitted to the state.
In the role of a delegate, Tunstall, who made sure to wear her professional best during the day, got to see a mock debate play out on the floor of the Legislature, for an actual legislative bill about artificial intelligence use in schools and how it should be used the right way. Testimony also was provided in support and opposition to the bill.
“They have time to speak about whether the bill should be passed or killed,” Tunstall said.
Those in attendance also got to act as legislators, using the actual mechanisms for casting votes. “We all went to the state rep’s desk and could press yeah or nay,” she said.
Garrett said that even though most of the class focus is on national politics, spending six hours in Boston, driving out to the Riverside MBTA station and then traveling to the State House, is worthwhile.
Tisdell was impressed getting to see the Great Hall, where the flags of each community are displayed. “We found our town’s flag in the room,” Tisdell said.
They also saw portraits of prominent individuals and displays of various historical events in Massachusetts.
Guimond said one of the neat aspects was to be on the governor’s balcony, overlooking the city on a bright, sunny day.
McCollough thanked Christopher Kalafatidis, the chief of staff for state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, whose legislative district includes Hatfield, for offering the guided tour.
Students also got to have their picture taken with Gov. Maura Healey, who spoke to the 300 or so high school students from across the state, and listened to other speeches, including one given by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.
In the middle of the day, the students had lunch at the nearby Fill-a-Buster Luncheonette, enjoying their sandwiches and looking back at the golden dome.
McCollough called the visit a “cool experience” and Guimond said she appreciated seeing the amazing architecture of the building.
Garrett compliments the students for their accomplishments. “They have all been awesome and worked really hard on this,” Garrett said.
Among the four seniors, only Tunstall is considering studying political science in college, though possibly as a minor. Still, it was worth being at the State House.
“It was definitely fun,” Tunstall said. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to experience anything like that again.”
