Struthers High seniors conduct mock council meeting for Civics Day

Staff report

STRUTHERS

Struthers High School seniors spent their day gaining hands-on experience with the procedures of city government during the school’s 2017 Civics Day.

Fifteen students spent two hours at city hall on Friday learning about how the city is governed and watching municipal court proceedings before traveling to the new Aqua Ohio Water Treatment Plant to learn how their water is cleaned and distributed.

At city hall, the students performed a mock city council meeting – where students took on the roles of the city officials and administrators engaging in parliamentary procedure – and afterward they sat in during Municipal Court Judge Dominic Leone’s arraignment hearings.

“I think days like Civics Day are good for the students because they get to see these different career paths here at city hall up close,” Judge Leone said. “It was good for us, too, to hear the issues that concern the students first-hand and get to look at the city through their eyes. I learned a lot.”

At the Aqua Ohio plant, students toured the facility with Jennifer Johnson, the company’s Struthers area manager.

Afterward, the students joined with Johnson, Judge Leone, Mayor Terry Stocker, council President Henry Franceschelli and others for lunch and a presentation at Donavito’s Italian Grille downtown.