On Thursday, April 13, forty-five Liberty students from Mrs. Paulin's AP Government and Civics classes traveled to the Denver for a first-hand account of judicial and government processes and procedures. These juniors and seniors showed up at 7:00 AM to board the bus bound for the Colorado State Capitol and Carr Judicial Center.
Students began their day sitting in on the opening of the Colorado House, during which the body adopted a resolution honoring the life of fallen Fountain PD Officer Julian Becerra. They then briefly observed the State Senate before meeting with Lex Pouliot, legislative aide to Representative Rose Pugliese for a short Q&A. Next was a guided tour of the Capitol from volunteers Ginny and Chris that culminated in a 10-story hike to the lower balcony of its dome.
After a quick photo op with Governor Polis and a pizza lunch on the Capitol lawn, students headed to the Carr Judicial Center. They met with the Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Craig Welling, who answered questions from students for more than 40 minutes. They toured the Colorado Supreme Court chambers and spent a few minutes in the building’s education center before boarding the bus back to Liberty.
Mrs. Paulin commented, "As a teacher, it was immensely gratifying to see our students applying what they’d learned in AP Government and civics to the real world in real time as they observed and interacted with our government officials. Every person we met with that day went out of their way to engage our students and show thanks for their interest in government."
