Over 100 8th graders participated in our SGL kickoff on Wednesday, January 9, along with numerous elected and appointed officials.  The Wilmette League has run this village-wide program for over 50 years, making it one of the longest running programs of its kind in any of the 900 local chapters of the League of Women Voters.

Over the course of the next seven weeks, 8th graders will study an issue in the community, observe government officials at work, and learn how to run a public meeting.  The program will culminate in student-led mock board meetings at the end of February that will be taped and televised on Channel 6.

• 105 students from WJHS will break up into two different groups:  one group will work with D39 officials and study the issue of full-day kindergarten and the other group will work with Village officials to make spending decisions for the 2019 budget.
• 9 students from Marie Murphy will work with D37 officials to consider the best use for the Avoca land sale.

Now that this amazing program has started, we need members to volunteer!  No experience necessary.   Please sign up HERE for just one workshop in January or February.  Thank you!

We have been running this program, unique to our League, for over 50 years to enhance students’ knowledge of local government. Topics studied in the past include: capital improvement budgets for the Village; D37’s option of sale or renovation of the Avoca Center; and the Park District’s best use of Gillson lakefront.  After students work alongside elected village officials, they participate in a televised mock board meeting.