Hotchkiss students teach civics at NorthEast-Millerton library

MILLERTON — “Youngsters teaching youngsters” is a great way to spread the word about civics according to Youth Services Director Kristin McClune of the NorthEast-Millerton Library, which is currently sponsoring a virtual weekly program in conjunction with The Hotchkiss School of Lakeville, Conn., whose students have designed and are teaching the program.

McClune described the series for students in grades four through six, which began Monday, May 3, as “a really great experience. The students were really engaged and asked a number of interesting questions.”  

Topics already covered include: Individual Citizenship: What’s my role? It also covered Government Structures: How does it all work? 

Upcoming topics on Monday, May 17, at 7 p.m. are The Different Departments: Who Does What? On May 24 the class will discuss The International Experience: What’s it Like in Other Countries? On May 31 they will talk about Mock Congressional Debate Activity.

According to Hotchkiss Volunteer Coordinator Caroline Kenny-Burchfield, students developed the program because “after the November elections  they wanted to celebrate the advantages of having a society such as ours where students can have a voice in public life. They wanted to make sure that students here knew how to use their voice and were aware that they can have an impact and that it is really their responsibility to get involved. It was really from that, that this program began.”

Among the Hotchkiss students who developed and are leading the program are Isabel Su from Beijing, China; Chase Dobson from Vermont; and Grace Hennessey from Hartford, Conn., with other students helping to teach the program.  

“I think that what makes this program so interesting is that there are actually students involved who are not from the United States, but they recognize the privileges of living  in our country and the freedoms and responsibilities that come with freedom that we have that other countries perhaps don’t avail their citizens,” said Kenny-Burchfield. “That is also part of what drove this.”

She said the series began by discussing volunteering.

“[Focusing on] ways that we can act as good citizens… really is our responsibility to look around and see how we can make our communities stronger — even if it is something as simple as helping out a senior neighbor or picking up garbage,” she said. “Everything we do in that way is building our community and that’s an important part of being a responsible citizen of the United States. It all trickles down to the local level.”

While community service is not mandatory, Hochkiss students are encouraged to participate in the school’s numerous outreach programs. Following graduation, many alumni continue their civic involvement including Ray McGuire, who is currently one of a number of New York City mayoral candidates. 

Kenny-Burchfield, who attended school with McGuire, remembers him as being the “anchor of the basketball team” and “a very powerful presence on campus in the very best way.” She said he has had a very strong streak of service in addition to a very successful Wall Street career. 

Having followed his career, she said that after graduation, “He was always getting involved, particularly trying to elevate the opportunities of students of color,  particularly with those who reflected his background, which was growing up with a single mom in a very poor community,” working to help provide them with some of the same opportunities he experienced as a Hotchkiss scholarship student.  

Registration for the program is required; email kmcclune@nemillertonlibrary.org to do so.