Cartersville Students Take State Capitol

Recently, nine students attended Georgia Youth Assembly sponsored by the state YMCA. Students who attend the conference are members of their school’s Y-Club and participate in a mock General Assembly.  Students from across the state are divided between the Senate and House of Representatives along with specific committees through which specific bills must go before introduced on either the House or Senate floor.

Bills are submitted by students from all over the state attending YA and 48 are chosen to be introduced on both the House and Senate floors; 24 are placed in the House and 24 in the Senate.

Students debate the bills and then vote to either pass or fail the bill. Bills that pass are then given to the chamber opposite of where it was introduced; if passed there then the bill goes to the desk of the youth governor to be signed into law or vetoed. 

The conference takes place over the course of three days in which students get the rare privilege of sitting in the actual desks of state senators and representatives in the state capitol.

Nine Cartersville High School students attended the conference this year. Two of Cartersville’s students were given appointed positions because of their attendance in previous years to YA. Senior Conner Wood served as assistant editor of the newsletter in the media program and McAllie Givens, also a senior, served as judicial committee chairman for the House of Representatives. 

Other Cartersville students who attended YA this year include Will Garner, Meredith Holmes, Meg Hurley, Katie Knight, Emily Bartenfeld, Annalyn Smith and Mallory Jones.