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Inspired Students
Our students are inspired to develop intellectual curiosity through meaningful opportunities. Through the many clubs at Wood River High School, students foster purposeful and relevant experiences and build a culture of relationships. WRHS students formed a new chapter of Next Generation Politics with teacher Chris Hansen as the advisor. Club member Clara Harding wrote, “On October 4th, 2017, the NGP Wood River High School Chapter of Idaho held a student forum with Idaho Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett (D - Ketchum), who serves in the Idaho Senate as a representative of the Wood River High School Chapter’s district. Students were invited to ask questions and discuss local issues with Senator Stennett. With almost twenty students attending, the event opened with Senator Stennett explaining her background, which prompted multiple questions on how she became interested in politics, considering she did not originally set out to become a politician. Members learned about what day-to-day life was like as a Senator, and they were surprised by the amount of research and work that has to be done to succeed in the job!
Senator Stennett enlightened attendees on how to make their voices heard, even when doing so seems impossible. They then discussed the various committees that Senator Stennett participates in, including the Idaho Resource & Environment Committee along with the Idaho State Affairs Committee. Students asked questions on how Senator Stennett becomes well-informed before making an argument or participating in a debate. The discussion then shifted to questions about the Idaho education budget, and how the Senate is planning to elevate Idaho’s educational standards in comparison to the rest of the United States, especially considering that the state of Idaho was once placed last on education spending per student.
Ultimately, the forum closed with a discussion about how Next Generation Politics can make an impact in the Wood River community. Students attending were inspired to continue to educate themselves on the issues surrounding their government, especially on the local and state level, with many of them deciding that they’d like to pursue public office sooner rather than later.”