It is not every day that high school students have the opportunity to be a part of the legislative process but yesterday, March 2nd, a select group of AP Government students from Liberty and Liberty North went to the state capitol building in Jefferson City in order to help pass two bills. While at the capitol building, the students toured a few parts of the capitol building, including the House Chamber Floor, before going to lobby the representatives and senators. The students ended the trip with the official hearing of both bills.

   “About thirty of us from Liberty and North went to Jefferson City to talk to senators and representatives about House Bills 1508 and 2518 before going to the hearing. We went in groups of six to go lobbying around the state capitol, which was a really cool experience for us and really educational,” junior Bailey Redford said.

   The students were visiting the capitol building in order to lobby senators and representatives and put a face to the bills HB 1508 and HB 2518. Students in Liberty Public Schools have been working for two years on these bills. 

   “These bills would create a uniform policy that gives all students who get a 3 or higher on an AP test to get college credit in all Missouri schools,” junior Abby Jones said.

   For some of the legislators, having students explain the bills from their perspective and advocate on their behalf was helpful to better understand the bills and possibly have a better chance of getting them passed.

   “Hearing all these students and teachers talk about the importance of AP classes and the benefits they have to offer really made me realize how lucky we are to have them. A lot of the representatives we spoke to did not know that much about AP classes or did not have any when they were in high school, but said that they wish they did because it would have helped them out. It made me more proud to be an AP student and more thankful for all that the classes and college board do for us,” Redford said.

   This trip was an opportunity for the AP Government students to get first-hand experience of the legislative process that they have been learning in class throughout the year.

   “It allowed me to actually see what we were learning in class in real life. Like we learned how a bill becomes a law but yesterday I actually got to see it and participate in that process. We also got to talk to legislators and see how they felt about younger people getting involved in politics,” junior Grace Livia said.