Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mike Connolly, an educator at the Charles E. Shea Senior High School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for his leadership in launching the Voters in the Classroom initiative. Voters in the Classroom is a statewide mock election initiative involving nearly 25 percent of public high schools across the State of Rhode Island. Mr. Connolly's Voters in the Classroom initiative is an effective classroom-based program helping to prepare students to be engaged public citizens. Students in the Voters in the Classroom program participate in mock statewide referendums on important topics, establish voting procedures through classroom discussions and assemblies, and staff polling places at their schools. I recently visited the students and educators at Shea High School and have seen firsthand the importance of this program. Civic education programs like this are key to the success of our democracy because they increase the likelihood that young people will engage in the election process when they become of age. I congratulate Mike Connolly on this achievement and thank him for his forward-thinking commitment to Rhode Island's students and the preservation of our democracy. ____________________”