A group of seniors from Livingstone Academy visited the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee on March 23 during the midst of legislative session for an up-close look at the inner workings of state government.
“Our students learned a lot about civics during the school year and our seniors were very interested in visiting the capitol,” said Bernadette Pello, CEO and co-founder of Livingstone Academy.
The group of nine seniors had an early start, leaving campus at 4 a.m. to make the trip to the capitol. “For the first event of the day, the students had a private tour of the House of Representatives chamber,” Pello said. “They learned about the history of the capitol and the murals that adorn the chamber, which showcase Florida through the ages, including the arrival of the conquistadors to the launching of the space shuttle.”
While in the chamber, Representative Susan Valdes from Tampa met with the students. She congratulated them on their upcoming graduation and took photos with the group.
On the way into the senate office building, the students were joined by Hillsborough County Commissioners Michael Owen and Joshua Wostal.
“The commissioners, along with Gasparilla pirates, Busch Gardens and many other iconic Tampa Bay businesses, were at the capitol for Hillsborough County Day,” Pello said. “The students also met with Representative Danny Alvarez from Brandon and took photos with him in front of the chamber entrances.”
The students then headed across the capitol courtyard for a tour of the Historic Capitol. There they learned about the history of Florida and how the state government first convened, including why Tallahassee was selected as the capital and the transition into the new capitol building in the 1970s.
Next, the students joined the Hillsborough County Day at the capitol festivities in the courtyard, where the Gasparilla pirates were handing out beads and Cuban sandwiches from a large pirate ship.
In the afternoon, the student group visited the senate chamber gallery, where senators were gathered in session. They saw the legislative process up close as senators debated bills, and, to the students’ surprise, they were recognized by Senator Danny Burgess on the Senate floor, who made an announcement to the entire chamber that they were in the gallery.
“Our students were amazing throughout their visit,” Pello said, “They asked questions, and the information they knew from their civic class was amazing.”
At Livingstone Academy’s recent graduation ceremony, the class valedictorian and class president spoke about the trip to Tallahassee.
“The valedictorian said the trip to Tallahassee changed their life,” Pello said. “It was awesome, and the parents’ feedback we got was fantastic as well. We will be fundraising to take our 2024 senior class to the state capital because of the amazing time our seniors had this year.”
If you would like to learn more about Livingstone Academy or if you’d like to donate to the school for its seniors’ trip to Tallahassee next year, you can visit its website at www.livingstoneschools.org.
