If you walk into any school in Pennsylvania, you'll likely find at least one class in which students are learning about the government, including the state government. Nearly every student in the United States has an opportunity to learn about his or her respective state capitol and the legislative process that occurs within it. Various state politicians, such as Sen. Scott Martin, offer students a real-life look at what happens behind the scenes via interactive educational programs at the Capitol.

On April 4, groups of high-schoolers from across Pennsylvania State Senate District 13 traveled to Harrisburg for Martin's Senator for a Day program. The program invites juniors and seniors to learn about state senators' legislative duties from the senators themselves, and it takes place in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Upon students' arrival, Martin gave a presentation to introduce the program and to provide an overview of the senatorial process. After the presentation, visitors entered the room where representatives hold their legislative meetings. The students were then divided into various committees and given bills to review before holding a mock session, during which members of the Senate acted as lobbyists and worked with the kids.

This year, a group of Solanco High School students joined aspiring senators from across District 13 to participate in hands-on activities with actual state senators, including debate prompts and various discussion topics. During the mock legislative session, the students discussed their respective committee's goals and wrote amendments as they sought to pass a bill. Each committee assigned one of its members the task of presenting a bill on the Senate floor.

"It's such a valuable experience for students to get to learn in a real-life setting," said Solanco High School teacher Michael Hammel, who supervised the group's trip to Harrisburg. "They were able to have discussions with committees of kids from schools all over the district."

One of the main goals of the Senator for a Day program is to provide students who are taking Advanced Placement government and civics courses with hands-on experience that will come in handy if they choose to pursue a career in politics. The program also includes several discussion topics that are relevant to students of any career interest and their learning environment. Among the legislative topics discussed by student committees this year were disciplinary action for bullying that occurs off campus, seat belt regulations for school buses and drug testing requirements for welfare recipients. Students also discussed the Clean Streams Law, a law written to prevent pollution and regulate methods of waste disposal across Pennsylvania.

For more information about Senator for a Day, visit https://senatorscottmartinpa.com/senator-for-a-day.