Officials talk to students

By Jon Moffett

Eight officials representing local governments and safety officials talked to the children.

CANFIELD — Many parents and educators would agree that it’s difficult to keep the attention of an 8- or 9-year-old for more than a few minutes.

But 125 third-graders at Hilltop Elementary in Canfield were all eyes and ears when city and township officials spoke this week at the school’s annual Civics Day.

Government, safety, law enforcement and school representatives gave speeches and told the kids lighthearted stories.

Hilltop principal Kathy Mowry introduced Canfield mayor William Kay, city councilman Dan Frazzini, township trustee Randy Brashen, Mahoning County Court judge Scott Hunter, schools Superintendent Dante Zambrini, school board President Adrianne Sturm, Sgt. Chris Ruiz of the Canfield Police Department and assistant fire Chief Don Hutchison.

Each gave a brief description of what they do and how it affects the community.

“We have been talking about organization here at Hilltop and how important it is and how people help us,” Mowry said. “And today was a day all about helping, keeping us safe and giving us the best opportunity to learn.”

Kay spoke first and talked about enforcing the laws. He gave an example where a little girl, Emily, would howl at the moon like a wolf every night. The children laughed then gasped when Kay said he could assess a $135 fine for disturbing the peace.

“It’s always fun when you’re with young people,” Kay said. “They energize you and pump you up because they’re so full of enthusiasm.”

Sturm compared the school board to the owners of a professional football team, saying the students are the players, the schools are the stadiums, the Super Bowl is their graduation day in 2019 and Zambrini is the head coach – or super coach. Zambrini said the city, township and school system were like a tripod, which supports the students.

Judge Hunter discussed punishment for those who break the law and laughed a little when almost every hand went up as he asked how many of the children’s parents had ever gotten a speeding ticket.

Frazzini explained his duties with the best visual possible: candy. He told the children to pretend lollipops were money and asked if it would be fair to give all of them to one class – which was greeted with a chorus of boos – and explained how money is distributed to be fair. Brashen explained how the township and the city work together.

Ruiz and Hutchison got a warm reception, especially when Ruiz showed the children his stun gun. The children cheered as the handheld device crackled.

“I learned that police and firemen work really hard to keep all the citizens safe,” said Tyler Stein, 9.

Daniel Robertson, 8, and Taylor Cessna, 9, both said they learned that the representatives work hard at their jobs.

But Kay said he and the others learned something too.

“These children have a lot of concern about government,” he said. “They want to know what’s going on, and they like to understand what the different entities are doing.”

Mowry said the event was both educational and entertaining.

“On a scale of one to 10, I’d say it was a 15,” she said. “I love when our community comes in and is part of our school, because nothing is better than hands-on learning.”

jmoffett@vindy.com