Upper School Girls Experience State Politics Through Youth in Government

Fifteen upper school girls rose to the challenge of running the State Capitol at the Youth in Government conference. Part of the Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government Program, these annual conferences are designed to offer high school students hands-on experience with state government. Students roleplay and take the places of real government officials, debating bills, arguing court cases, and working as student journalists.

Most of Hutchison’s upper school participants served as state legislators. They wrote and presented several bills. Three bills by Hutchison girls were signed into law after passing in both the Senate and the House. Campbell Jenkins ’27, Bella McAdams ’27, and Suzanne Smith ’27 received an Outstanding Bill award for their bill focused on reducing the opioid crisis in TN by implementing mandatory drug and alcohol seminars for all high school students and requiring first responders to carry Narcan. Kaitlyn Johnson ’27, Piper Moss ’27, and Mary-Catherine Stanford ’27 earned an Outstanding Bill award for their bill aiming to replace some gas-powered public buses in Tennessee with electric-powered buses. Kaitlyn Johnson ’27, Bella McAdams ’27, Suzanne Smith ’27, and Lark Thompson ’29 received Outstanding Statesperson awards.

“Our girls gained valuable experience crafting and defending arguments, as well as participating in structured debate,” said upper school social science teacher Will Askew. “The recognitions they received speak to their hard work, leadership, and determination to become active, informed, and productive participants in our democracy. We should be so fortunate to have this group as future leaders in our community and country!”

Hutchison girls were also part of the press corps and the courtroom. Dottie Higginbotham ’27 served as part of the student-run press corps and was elected to be the Blog and Copy Editor for the next year’s conference. Emma Goughnour ’26 was an Associate Justice in the Supreme Court, and she was invited to attend the YMCA Conference on National Affairs this summer. 

“Hutchison helped me grow as an individual and find my voice. By being in a smaller environment where it's not as scary to share my opinions or be myself, I gained the confidence to go into the real world to be able to do the same,” Goughnour said. “Whenever I do go to conferences on a state level, I always think about what I can take back for Hutchison and what I can bring back as a skill to put in whatever environment I go into next.”

We are proud of our girls' hard work and commitment to civic engagement during this learning opportunity. Through programs like Youth in Government, Hutchison educates young women for success and lives of integrity and responsible citizenship.