The Missouri YMCA Youth and Government (YAG) State Conference took place at the Missouri state capitol in Jefferson City on Nov. 13-15. Thirty-nine students traveled, along with advisers Mary Jo Bauer, Daniel Money, and Rachel Rea, to participate in the conference. With three students having run for positions, one being elected, and many other successes, this year’s YAG trip was filled with achievements.
After returning from an accomplished trip, Money said that Summit’s large influence at the state level led to their many victories in all parts of the delegation.
“We had a really strong conference, a very big presence in all the different branches this year. Three or four of our bills even got passed into law and signed with the Governor. And we had [junior] Brendan Corkery elected Lieutenant Governor, which is very exciting,” Money said.
Over the course of their four day trip, YAG students set up a mock government in the Missouri capitol building. Students can decide if they want to be a delegate in the House Of Representatives or the Senate. In these roles, students propose bills to be voted on and discussed by their peers. Senior Mia Sutton proposed a bill regarding exempt absences with doctors notes in Missouri schools. Being awarded Outstanding Senate Bill, Sutton said the process of making a debatable, strong bill contributed to her winning the award.
“[One of the most important things] was just the process from the beginning of making a bill that is defendable, [a bill] you’re able to have conversations about, [making] it argumentable, and all those kinds of things. All the things that go into making a good bill to debate on the floor [helped me win Outstanding Senate Bill],” Sutton said.
Very few bills get passed at the YAG conference every year. Sutton said getting her bill passed showed her how much she had improved as a delegate throughout her high school career.
“For me personally, [passing a bill] was super big because it showed how far I [have come since] last year and how much more prepared and confident I was. It was a super big deal for my bill to even be on the floor so I was even grateful for that, but to have it pass in both houses was great,” Sutton said.
In just his first year at the YAG conference, sophomore Ishaan Banker received the award of “Outstanding Statesperson.” Despite the award going to him, Banker said he saw it as an accomplishment for the entire group.
“[Winning Outstanding Statesperson] means a lot. It was pretty fun, since it was my first year, especially. I see it as kind of an achievement that, at least overall, as [Summit], we did really well [at the conference],” Banker said.
Reflecting on what might’ve been the reason for him receiving the award, Banker said that his main contribution was delivering a wide variety of speeches regarding the pending bills at the conference.
“I formulated some pretty good speeches, especially in support of some of our Rockwood bills. I feel that [I] definitely contributed, along with the author [of the bill], to get those passed within [the house]. Personally, I gave some good speeches in affirmation. I gave some good speeches in opposition to other bills [that I] saw some flaws in. So, I think that gave me the award. Just the quality of [the speeches] and how many times I had spoken,” Banker said.
The maximum number of members each school can bring to a YAG state conference is 39. Money reflected on how the number of students impacted Summit’s influence at the conference.
“We had as many kids as we could bring this year, so we had a full Rockwood Summit delegation. I think the major factor that contributed to [having a bigger presence] was that we had a few students, who are now returners, who were in leadership positions. So, they were on the decision-making committees, and got to push Rockwood Summit bills here and there, get things on the floor, and more [bills] debated from our school versus other schools,” Money said.
Since Summit’s YAG group did not participate in the state conference during the early 2020s due to COVID-19, members in years past were not able to run for an elected office, which made Corkery’s victory all the more thrilling, Money said.
“[Delegates] only get to even run for office if [they are] a returning member. [In] 2023 and 2024 we didn’t have returning members who were even eligible to run. So it was really exciting that the first time we could, [Corkery] won,” Money said.
Personal success aside, Corkery said he could not have won the Lieutenant Governor race without support from his delegation and advisors.
“Although I feel like [winning Lieutenant Governor is] a personal victory for me, because I did work hard to obtain this position, I more feel as though it’s a victory for Rockwood Summit in general. I wouldn’t have been able to run for this position without the help of my fellow delegates and especially Ms. Bauer and Mr. Money. They both pushed me to run for office when I wasn’t sure, and they both helped me through it, calming me down and allowing me to gain [my] footing,” Corkery said.
After a successful conference this year, Money said that Summit’s YAG program will be looking forward to bigger and better things in the years to come.
“We’re really optimistic going forward. We’ve kind of set a precedent this year of going for leadership positions, taking risks, even if it means falling short of our goals and things, but putting ourselves out there. And I think that that’s a new standard that we’re going to keep meeting each year and hopefully pushing beyond,” Money said.
