Twelve Lausanne Upper School students had the opportunity to take their knowledge of the governmental process from the classroom straight to the capital building this past weekend during the 66th Annual Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government Conference in Nashville.
Our Lynx joined approximately 750 other high schoolers from Tennessee for the volunteer conference, in which students had the opportunity to simulate the entire state level governmental process. Lausanne participants served as House members, Senators, Lobbyists, Press Corps members and had a lawyer team that argued before the Supreme Court.
The Tennessee Youth in Government program is unique for the students because Tennessee is the only state that allows participating students to conduct their conference and debate in the state capital building in the seats of our state house members and senators.
It was an exciting weekend for the Lausanne delegation full of lobbying, debating and voting on legislation, arguing cases and student-led coverage by the press corps through pictures and news stories.
As a result of their knowledge and skills, the Upper School students earned three prestigious awards during the conference. Jeff Chai ’20 won an Outstanding Delegate Award for his performance in the White House of Representatives, Ved Dalal '20 won Outstanding Press Corps Member for his coverage of the conference and Ambria Williams '20 ran for and won a position on next year's Volunteer Conference Supreme Court. She will return as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court for 2020.
Congratulations, Lynx!
Lausanne student participants for the 2019 conference:
Daniel Baymiller '20 - Senator
Jack McKinnon '20 - Senator
Jeff Chai '20 - House member
Phillip Kulubya '20 - House member
Isaac Mendez '20 - House member
Andrew Pae '20 - House member
Ved Dalal '20 - Press Corps
Jim Keegan '20 - Press Corps
Jeb Wells '21 - Press Corps
Freddie Rhodes '20 - Lawyer team
Ambria Williams '20 - Lawyer team
Leila Akinwumiju '20 - Civil Liberties Lobbyist