The Annual 2009 Elk’s Student Government Day will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. All six area high schools in Crawford County are invited to participate in the event. Government teachers from the area schools are given the task of selecting 16 students to attend.  These students are typically upperclassmen in AP (advanced placement) classes, but that is not always the case.

Student Government Day is a chance for students to witness local government in action. Working in clusters, students job shadow a local city or county government department; it gives the students an opportunity to witness firsthand possible careers according to their interests.

Student Government Day is sponsored by the Elk’s Lodge of Pittsburg and co-hosted by Crawford County and the City of Pittsburg.  Student Government Day is brought to fruition by the Planning Committee which is spearheaded by Homer Cole, a member of the Elk’s Lodge and Susan Thom, General Government Clerk at the Crawford County Clerk’s Office.

Thom and Cole have played a vital role in planning the event for the past three years. Student Government Day begins at Memorial Auditorium, where registration is held and a light breakfast is served. Students are then bussed to their individual cluster activities; causing students to travel the length of Crawford County, as clusters will be held in City and County offices spanning from Pittsburg to Girard.  Following requests from previous participants, the Planning Committee has expanded time spent in the clusters.

The cluster groups for the City of Pittsburg are Public Safety, which includes the Pittsburg Fire Department and Police Department; students will get to see the new fire station and law enforcement center that were recently completed in Pittsburg. The Parks and Recreation department will cater to students who are interested sports and fitness activities, the outdoors, and facility operations. Public Works, the largest division within the city organization, will include tours of Atkinson Airport, the water treatment plant, and the Street Department. City Administration will appeal to students who are interested in customer service and service to the public.

Cluster groups for Crawford County include Medical Interests, which involves the Health Department, Mental Health Department, and the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The Health and Mental Health departments help individuals and families obtain affordable health care services. Crawford County EMS provides basic and advanced life support services with one captain and two paramedics assisted by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and will include a tour of the recently built EMS Station. The Law Enforcement division will appeal to students interested in careers in law enforcement and its programs will experience many job opportunities available within the Sheriff’s Department such as personnel management and food service.

The General Government #1 and General Government #2 clusters will take place at the Crawford County Courthouse. These clusters are intended for students interested in politics and county government. Group #1 includes the County Commissioners, County Clerk, County Treasurer, County Attorney, County Register of Deeds, County Counselor, and County Zoning Administrator. The General Government #2 group includes GIS/Mapping, County Engineer’s Office, the Road & Bridge Department, County Appraiser, and the County Information Technology Department.

Both General Government clusters will have the opportunity to observe the Honorable Judge Noland in action while he holds trials in District Court.  New this year to the students in General Government #1 cluster will be an election held for students in the cluster to run for county offices.  The students will vote an official ballot and use an M-100 scanner to cast their ballot. Following election results, the newly elected officials will be sworn into office and a mock Board of Crawford County Commission meeting will be held.

Once the morning festivities are through, students will return to Memorial Auditorium for lunch, which is provided by the Elk’s Lodge. A scholarship ceremony will be presented by the Elk’s Lodge, awarding six students each with a $500 scholarship. The scholarship ceremony is followed by a Question & Answer Session moderated by Dr. Howard Smith, Assistant to the President and Legislative Liaison at Pittsburg State University. All elected officials and department heads for the cities within and the county of Crawford are invited to attend the Question & Answer Session.  This year members of the Chamber of Commerce will also be involved in the Question & Answer Session, at the request of previous attendees.  Students will receive a goody bag at the end of the day filled with donations from local businesses. With the suggestions of last year's students, this Student Government Day should be one of the most entertaining and educational yet. The employees of the City of Pittsburg and of Crawford County try to make the day a fun way for students to learn about government as well as possible future career paths they may one day take.