During Myra Stanfield’s year in office, she focused on her platform of Standing Up for Animals in Need. Myra’s term faced challenges brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic but was able to complete each part of her three point platform in 2020. Keep reading to learn about CTKG Myra’s accomplishments.
Inauguration Day 2020
On January 17, 2020, Myra Stanfield was sworn in as the fifth Connecticut’s Kid Governor. In a ceremony at Connecticut’s Old State House in Hartford, CTKG Myra was joined by former Kid Governors Jessica Brocksom (2017) and Ella Briggs (2019), Governor Ned Lamont, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, State Treasurer Shawn Wooden, Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona, and other dignitaries. CTKG Myra was joined by the six members of her Cabinet and their homeroom classes for a days of celebration and civics.
Watch CTKG Myra’s Inauguration Day ceremony below:
Educational Video Series with the Connecticut Humane Society
CTKG Myra’s first point in her Standing Up for Animals in Need platform, she worked to inform and education students about companion animals and how they can help them. To do this, Myra worked with Ashley Marshall from the Connecticut Humane Society to create a four-part educational video series.
Watch all four videos below:
CT Family Day Poster Contest with the Department of Children and Families
As the second point of her Standing Up for Animals in Need platform, CTKG Myra partnered with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families for a poster contest for CT Family Day. The contest asked fifth graders to design a poster that showed how they and their families can show kindness to companion animals in their homes or shelters. The contest received dozens of entries. During a virtual Cabinet meeting, CTKG Myra and her Cabinet reviewed the entries and picked their top thirteen choices to send along to CT DCF.
After much consideration, Braelyn Paddock of East Hampton was picked as the winning artist. You can see her winning poster below:
Virtual Pet Adoption Event with NBC Connecticut & Telemundo Connecticut
On August 29, 2020, CTKG Myra completed her three-point platform with a virtual pet adoption event. Partnering with NBC Connecticut and Telemundo CT, Myra hosted a virtual pet meet and greet with staff and volunteers from the Connecticut Humane Society, CT Cat Connection, Dog Star Rescue, Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter, and Pack Leaders Rescue. During the virtual event, viewers could see companion animals that were looking for forever homes from each shelter or rescue and learn how they could potentially adopt a pet. Following the event, CTKG Myra learned that the majority pets featured found their forever families.
Meeting of the Five CTKGs
To celebrate the five year anniversary of the launch of Connecticut’s Kid Governor, Connecticut’s Old State House hosted an evening conversation between the five Kid Governors and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz. This was the first time that all five Kid Governors have been able to “meet” and share their experiences with each other and the public.
Virtual Library Circuit
Each year, the Kid Governor hits the road to share their platform with constituents across the state during the annual Library Circuit. For 2020, the Library Circuit had to be adapted due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. Instead of meeting in person with constituents, CTKG Myra participated in six virtual meet and greets with libraries across the state to talk about her platform and her experience as Connecticut’s fifth Kid Governor.
Opening Day at the Connecticut General Assembly
On February 5, 2020, CTKG Myra and members of her Cabinet were invited to attend Opening Day at the State Capitol. While there, they met with legislators and elected officials. They also were recognized on the floor of the House of Representatives before the joint convention and Governor Lamont’s State of the State address. Following the events of Opening Day, CTKG Myra and the Cabinet had a special meeting with Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz (read more below).
Connecticut Association of School Arts Banquet
On February 10, 2020, CTKG Myra spoke at the Connecticut Association of Schools Arts Banquet. During her speech, she congratulated the students selected as Outstanding Artists from their schools and shared how they could get involved with her Standing Up for Animals in Need platform.
Meeting State and Federal Leaders
Throughout her term, CTKG Myra was able to meet in person and virtual with State and Federal Leaders. At her Inauguration in January, she was able to meet with members of all three branches of Connecticut’s state government. In February, Myra and her Cabinet were able to meet with legislators at Opening Day before meeting with Lt. Governor Bysiewicz. In May, Myra virtually met with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and animal advocates to speak about her platform. In June, Myra participated in a virtual Kids Town Hall with U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes.
CTKG Myra Gets 5th Graders Excited to Vote on Bus Tour
2020 brought the first ever CTKG Bus Tour to schools across Connecticut for a two day event. On the first day, CTKG Myra joined the tour to speak to students about the importance of voting and her term as the 2020 Kid Governor. While masked up and socially distanced, CTKG Myra was able to meet with constituents and get them ready for the 2020 Statewide Election.
BONUS: CTKG Myra Becomes a Bitmoji
As a part of the pandemic adaptions made to the Connecticut’s Kid Governor program in 2020, CTKG Myra and the staff were turned into Bitmojis. These avatars were used in Google Slide presentations for 5th graders to learn about state government and more.