Students at Oxford Elementary got to pretend they were members of U.S. Congress last Tuesday and tried to pass a law extending the school lunch period ? with the help of Congressman Mike Rogers, of course.
A special committee of five students was formed to try and get the lunch period extended from 20 minutes to an hour.
Third-grade student Shelby Zellen spoke on behalf of the students who wanted to extend lunch, and third-grader Travis Butler spoke against it.
Some committee members agreed with the longer lunch, arguing that every student would get to finish their lunch. Others disagreed, saying it would shorten their recess time.
Principal Debbie Stout, teacher Shanie Williams and even parents got to voice their concerns of a longer lunch, mainly that the school day would have to be extended into the evening.
In the end, the committee didn’t approve of the lunch hour extension.
Rogers used this opportunity to encourage students not to give up when something in their life, like this faux law, doesn’t go their way. He also encouraged them to be a part of the law-making process and to let their voice be heard.
‘So many people look up to us (as a nation) because we have a participatory government,? he told the kids. ‘It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, or what your economic status is, you can run to be a representative for your government.?