West Shore’s participants for the Mock Student Senate won the award for Most Prepared School on Jan. 13. Students from all four high school grade levels participated.

“It was such a learning experience,” sophomore Maya Burley said. “I went into it not knowing the difference between a Democrat and a Republican and came out with so much knowledge about what our real senators do.”

For students coming the the Senate for the first time, the event was a little confusing early on.

“It was kind of nerve racking in the beginning,” freshman Sara Porhammer said. “But after you get used to things, it was easy.”

The meeting was not entirely serious, as Republican senators passed “silly bills”, to the Democrats’ dismay.

“When Republicans won the majority and started making all sorts of bills just because they could,” Burley said. “It actually made me realize how biased our government can be.”

Model Student Senate is an imitation of the U.S. Senate and uses currently proposed bills as a basis for debate before approving or rejecting them. The event is open to all high school students and happens every January.

History teacher Brooke Owen-Thomas, who sponsors the school’s team, said she’s proud of her senators.

“I think as a school, it’s the best we’ve done in 10 years,” she said. “We were spectacular.”

By Natalie Brown