Students Call Village Hall 'Meeting' to Order

Speaking in front of any group can be intimidating, let alone a village president and public officials, but students held their own during Student Government Day earlier this week.

The was transformed Wednesday morning as local junior high school student council members learned the many facets of government, toured the police station and took the gavel for a mock board meeting.

But before students took the reins, public officials such as Police Chief Mark Erickson and Trustee Maria Toth discussed the ins-and-outs of local government. Everything from terminology to working cohesively was explained.

“We don’t work in a bubble,” Trustee Toth said. “It takes all of us working together to make the village work well and to run efficiently.”

Trustee Toth also told students the various tasks board members do before, during and after meetings including research, working with village staff and sorting through background information.

“There’s a variety of things that we need to take into account before we make a decision,” she said.

Students may have been familiar with conducting student council meetings at their schools, however, one of the big differences Wednesday was understanding government-lingo like "motion" and “consent agenda.” But after a rundown of Robert's Rules - the body of rules and ethics board members follow - by Village President Daniel J. Staackmann, students were ready to call the meeting to order.

Once they read over background information on the Morton Grove Teen Center, strong opinions developed over whether or not to "cut" the center's budget, which was the first "agenda item." Realizing a few programs could be condensed and amenities scaled back, students voted in favor of reducing the budget. 

By the time they began discussing their second "agenda item," the students were practically pros at it. This time around they followed Robert's Rules and "approved" a shopping center redevelopment plan. 

“I think it went really well for first timers,” said eighth grader and student council president Adina Soica.

Just like she does at student council meetings, Soica served as president during the mock board meeting. She was joined by four other students as well as classmate Alesha Singhal. Both Singhal and Soica said they volunteered to take part in Student Government Day after hearing about it at school.

“I enjoyed doing the meeting and getting to say what I felt about the topics,” said Singhal, who serves as student council vice president.

Singhal added that she learned a lot about the fine points of local government during the mock board meeting, but one of the hardest parts was overcoming the stage fright.

“It got a little easier as it went on,” she said. “You sort of felt comfortable after the first half.”

She said she plans to take some of her experiences back to student council meetings, which is exactly what Village President Staackman had hoped for once the day wrapped up.

“I think it’s very, very important that young people understand the process of government,” Village President Staackman said. “Hopefully today you’ll be able to take that experience, that form of government, in a small way and take it back to your classmates so they’ll understand how it works.” 

Trustee Toth said she hopes to have a similar event next year at the Morton Grove Village Hall. 

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