ECMS Students Attend Frankfort's Three-Day Kentucky Youth Assembly

Middle School Students Experience State Government Process

All 29 ECMS participating students in 2018 KYA with Rep. Michael Lee Meredith.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
Twenty-nine students from Edmonson County Middle School attended YMCA’s flagship program, Kentucky Youth Assembly, in Louisville December 9th-11th at the state capitol in Frankfort. This program allowed students to participate in a mock legislative process which included writing a bill, presenting the bill to a student-led house of representatives, a student-led senate, and an elected governor if passed in both the house and the senate.  ​

Team one: L-R, Ian White, Ty Brantley, Lily Jayne Vincent, Claire Burklow.

ECMS students presented three bills for debate at this year’s conference. The first team consisted of Ty Brantley, Claire Burklow, Lily Jayne Vincent, and Ian White, with their bill ranking highly on opening night. This team passed by vote in both chambers and was signed by the student governor.

The second team consisted of Hailey Cockrill, Kylee Houchin, Brody Johnson, and Kaylee Lindsey, and their bill was also ranked highly at opening session. It passed both chambers and was signed by the student governor.

Team two: L-R, Kaylee Lindsey, Kylee Houchin, Hailey Cockrill, and Brody Johnson.

​The third team consisted of Grant Merideth, Jonas Miller, MaKaylee Thompson, and Callie Webb. This bill was also ranked highly on the first day of debate, passed one chamber, but was defeated in the second.

Team three: L-R, Grant Merideth, Callie Webb, MaKaylee Thompson, and Jonas Miller.

ECMS faculty commended all three teams for their hard work on the bills that dated all the way back to August. 

Representative Michael Meredith met the group upon their arrival in Frankfort on the second day of the conference for discussion and to gain insight into their bill topics.

During the closing awards ceremony on the final day of the conference, ECMS received the following awards and recognition:

• Premiere Delegation to the entire group 
• Outstanding Delegate to Claire Burklow  
• Outstanding Speaker awards were each given to Brody Johnson and Jonas Miller 

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8th Grader Claire Burklow, Outstanding Delegate.

Outstanding Speaker awards were each given to Brody Johnson (R) and Jonas Miller (L).

All 29 ECMS participating students in 2018 KYA.

Sponsors for this conference were Mrs. Britney Franich and Mrs. Dana Lindsey. In addition to bill authors previously mentioned, the following students attended KYA and served as members of the House and Senate: 7th graders Evy Bolton, Brycen Daniels, Ryann Davis, Greenlee Goins, Sydney Hennion, Kennedy Stice, Olivia Stice and 8th graders Taylor Atwell, Zander Bass, Jude Clemons, Alyssa Doyle, Danielle Hartz, Peyton Keith, Emma Lashley, Wade Luttrell, Andrew Talley, and Cadence Warthan.