This fall, the Mount Madonna School (MMS) eleventh grade U.S. Government and Politics class joined 200 other local high schoolers at the Santa Cruz County Civics Summit held at Cabrillo College.
The stated purpose of the Civics Summit was to “deepen students’ understanding of local government with a full day of learning about the importance of civic engagement and the role of local elected officials.” MMS students began the day at a keynote address by John Laird, former California Assembly Member and current California Secretary for Natural Resources. Next they participated in breakout workshop sessions with local and state elected officials on topics such as city and county governance, state legislatures, education law, and voting and elections.
Students also met with several local and county elected officials and, while much media attention is focused on national politics, they learned about the many ways that politics impacts our daily lives right here on the Central Coast.
“City council and board of supervisors are in charge of our local communities and solving housing and transportation issues or making them better,” said junior John Dias. “Our responsibility is to follow issues that we care about and understand that change starts at a lower government.”
Classmate Priyanka Bharghavan said citizens should pay attention to issues that affect us not just nationally, but at the local and state levels as well.
“The government affects our personal life every day,” commented Bharghavan. “Prices of everyday necessities are all determined through economic politics, such as the state by state differences on sales tax and income tax.”
In addition to learning about how our governments and elected officials work for the citizens and communities they serve, another theme of the Civics Summit was understanding the responsibilities of individual citizens, shared teacher Tiffany Wayne.
“Exercising the right to vote is the primary way that citizens make their voices heard,” she observed. “But in order to have our votes be meaningful, we must first educate ourselves about the issues.”
Junior Mara Peruzzi agreed.
“By actively voting we are contributing to our democracy to change the community,” said Peruzzi.
“We are responsible for reporting issues and understanding our local politics and who is making decisions for our communities,” added Dias, reflecting on what he’s learned during the day’s activities.
“Participation in the Civics Summit was a great way to connect some of the themes about citizen engagement and the processes of government that we have been learning about in our U.S. Government and Politics classroom,” said Wayne.
The Civics Summit was especially timely as a follow-up to a campus visit by Santa Cruz County Clerk, Gail Pellerin, who visited Mount Madonna School juniors and seniors in September to encourage voter pre-registration for students who are 16 or 17 years of age. 
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Nestled among the redwoods on 355 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a community of learners dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.
