2024 Kid Governor’s Cabinet

About Me:
My name is Alexa Adgers. I live in New Britain with my parents. I enjoy gymnastics, karate, and playing the saxophone and cello. As a leader, I am passionate, determined, and motivated.

My Community Issue:
I chose mental and physical well-being because it is important to stay mentally and physically balanced. I enjoy working out, doing mindfulness exercises, and staying active. I want to share how to do that with others. Maintaining your mental and physical health starting at a young age can help you live a longer, more balanced, and productive life.

Did You Know?:
Did you know that in the United States, obesity is the second leading preventable cause of death? According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Institutes of Medicine, it took just one generation for preschool obesity rates to triple and for obesity rates in children ages 6-11 to quadruple. The CDC reported that in 2021, almost one-third of students (29%) experienced poor mental health and over 4 in 10 students (42%) were persistently sad or felt hopeless. Mental Health America reported that in Connecticut, 15.64% of children had a major depressive episode in 2023.

About My Platform:

1. Weekly Health Hits when students learn about health facts and ways to take care of their physical health. 
2. Create videos of activities that kids can do for Mental Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays. 
3. Suitable Snacks suggestions and baskets of healthy snacks in classrooms.

About Me:
Hello! My name is Clare Perreault, and I am ten years old. I go to Gainfield Elementary School in Southbury. I live with my mom, my dad, and my younger brothers. I have a passion for dancing, running, and playing basketball and lacrosse. I have been dancing for almost 7 years. As a leader, I am patient, trustworthy, kind, and honest.

My Community Issue:
I want to help kids by making sure they find things that make them happy. I think every kid should have cool things they like to do. I know it’s tricky sometimes to figure out what fun things to try. I want to help make it simpler for all kids. When I don’t dance or play sports for a while, I start feeling stressed and I start to lose focus.

Did You Know?:
I see some friends struggling with stress and distractions. I believe it’s because they lack things that bring them joy. My plan aims to offer students the opportunity to try different extracurricular activities. I hope this will bring them happiness and reduce their stress. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, extracurriculars teach teamwork, strength, winning, losing, responsibility, and more. This supports students in strengthening their minds.

About My Platform:

1. Find a Hobby Friday: Each week, one or two students will present about their favorite hobby to their class.
2. Try It and See Survey: Students will take a survey listing various activities they may want to try, and their teachers will invite people from the community to talk about the most popular activities.
3. Hobby Fair: Students will put together presentations about a hobby they enjoy for students, staff, and family members to look at and learn about hobbies they may want to try.

About Me:
Hello! I’m Dahna and I go to Grove J. Tuttle Elementary School in East Haven. I live with my mom, dad, grandma, brother, and sister. Art, especially painting, is a passion of mine because it’s both fun and challenging. I also enjoy dancing and gymnastics, where I’ve learned valuable skills from my friends. I am hardworking, outspoken, loyal, and reliable.

My Community Issue:
I chose littering because I really worry about people throwing trash everywhere in our towns in Connecticut. It’s not just bad for us, it’s also really dangerous for our animal friends. When we throw trash around without thinking, it hurts our environment a lot every day.

Did You Know?:
Did you know that according to the Center for Biological Diversity, about 40% of the ocean is covered in litter? And 90% of that 40% is plastic! Each year, billions of pounds of plastic enter the ocean, impacting our little friends such as turtles, dolphins, whales and many other sea creatures. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, littering and trash like soda cans and plastic directly leads to the death of numerous animals. When those animals die, other animals don’t have food so they die too, and then it becomes a cycle that affects the food chain.

About My Platform:

1. Organize Trash Walk Day in Connecticut when 5th graders can clean up their local parks, streets, and beaches. 
2. Host a video series to teach kids and adults how to recycle and compost correctly through interviews with community leaders.
3. Create a blog to share ways to take action on littering. 

About Me:
My name is Ella Hawkins. I go to CREC Ana Grace Academy of the Arts in Bloomfield and I live in New Britain. I play the clarinet, viola, and a bit of piano. I am also in gymnastics, and I used to be in karate where I have an orange belt. In my free time, I like to watch television and play board games. Some of my leadership qualities are that I am accepting, kind, and persevering.

My Community Issue:
I chose to address bullying because it is a problem in our community. I don’t like to see innocent kids getting bullied just for being themselves. Many kids don’t know how to stop bullying when it is happening. I believe it’s time to put an end to this issue and empower kids with the tools to stand up against bullying.

Did You Know?:
Did you know that according to Together Against Bullying, 33% of kids in elementary school get bullied? One type of bullying is cyberbullying which happens online, through text messages, or through social media. Bullying can lead to mental health issues such as depression, sadness, bad behavior, and more. Kids who are bullied have a hard time standing up for themselves. 

About My Platform:

1. Encourage Allies Week to teach kids how to be allies and what to do if they’re being bullied or see someone being bullied.
2. Create the Make a Friend Project where students go to schools, share things about themselves, and make new friends.
3. Create anti-bullying clubs. 

About Me:
My name is Max Parisi and I go to East Haven Academy. I live in East Haven with my mom, dad, and brother. I love to play football, lacrosse, and ski. My hobbies are video editing, creating websites, and following the stock market. As a leader, I am hard-working, intelligent, trustworthy, and kind. 

My Community Issue:
I chose to address internet safety because I know how important it is for kids to stay safe online. We use the internet for so many things and not everyone knows what sites are safe. Kids need to be smart about choosing websites, games, and apps. They need to know how to stop online predators and hackers from getting their personal information. I want to help 5th graders in Connecticut learn how to stay safe online. 

Did You Know?:
According to the FBI Internet Crime Report, there have been 8,000 child victims of cybercrime in the past three years. In 2022, there was a 20% increase in cyber crimes against kids compared to the year before. This shows that we need to educate kids about Internet safety and set up programs to help kids use the Internet safely. The Kids Online Safety Act (S.1409) was proposed in Congress to set requirements to protect kids when using applications, like social media programs, that connect to the Internet. Combining this new bill with my plan will help keep all kids safe on the Internet. 

About My Platform:

1. Have 1-1 meetings with SEL teachers to talk about being safe online.
2. Create a kid-friendly website for families to learn how to keep kids safe online.
3. Work with police departments to talk to kids about how to keep cyber crimes from happening to them. 

About Me:
My name is Paula Sanchez-Barreto and I go to Ivy Drive School in Bristol. I live with my mom, dad, and my brother Liam. I have a dog named Luka. I like to bake, draw, play with friends, and watch movies. In the spring of 2023, I wrote a book called “Never Fear To Volunteer.” As a leader, I am disciplined, passionate, respectful, empathetic, and honest.

My Community Issue:
I chose celebrating diversity and inclusion for my platform because everyone should feel included, no matter our differences. It’s a problem when people are excluded or not respected for who they are. Also, I want to inspire people to stand up for themselves and learn about their cultures. When we know about different cultures, we appreciate ourselves more and are better at including and accepting others. That’s why it’s important to me.

Did You Know?:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Connecticut’s Diversity Index in 2020 was  56% which is below the national average of 61%. However, our Index has increased by 10% since 2010.  According to Queens University of Charlotte, students work, communicate, and concentrate better in diverse environments. Students will push themselves to work harder when they are surrounded by students from different backgrounds.. Teaching fifth graders about diversity and inclusion will foster awareness, access, and inclusive environments. Students will feel comfortable and safe in their cultures and differences. It is important to spread this vision of diversity and inclusion across Connecticut’s schools.

About My Platform:

1. Create posters to celebrate and recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion.
2. Educate fifth graders on diversity and inclusion through five-minute talks during morning meetings or assemblies.
3. Create an interactive welcoming classroom for fifth graders to learn about everyone’s culture and languages.