PAHS Students Shine at JSA

December 1, teacher Dennis Wilson and five Peoria Accelerated students –  (from left) Lamonte McDuffie, Stephanie Aldape, Triniece Lane, Jade Hess, and Jonathan Wulf traveled to Tucson to participate in Junior State of America’s Fall Congress at the University of Arizona.  Students from all over the state, from Kingman,Flagstaff, Yuma, Nogales and all places in between, along with students from Albuquerque, New Mexico, converged to meet in committee to discuss, debate, and approve bills on a multitude of topics, including abolishing the electoral college, congressional term limits, requiring people over 75 to retake their driving test every five years, ban texting and driving, and create a federal minimum wage for teachers.  After their day at the U of A, students were ready to relieve some stress during the evening by hanging out at the pool and attending a dance.  On Sunday, December 2, students met in a full House of Representatives or Senate in meeting rooms to discuss and debate the bills that survived their committees.  Out of the 22 bills introduced at Fall Congress, seven were signed into law by the Junior State governor.  The five representatives of Peoria Accelerated High School enjoyed the consideration of the bills and learned about the process and politics required for a bill to become law.  They represented Peoria Accelerated well and are looking forward to Spring State, which will be held in the Phoenix area in spring.

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