{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-office-organizes-vermont-day_at-bostons-kennedy-institute", "Sanders Office Organizes Vermont Day  at Bostons Kennedy Institute", "2017-11-08", "2017", "2017-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders\u2019 Office Organizes \u2018Vermont Day\u2019  at Boston\u2019s Kennedy Institute\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, November 8, 2017\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 8 \u2013 More than 100 students from four Vermont high schools traveled to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on Wednesday as part of the first \u201cVermont Day\u201d to learn about democracy, civic discourse and the legislative process.\r\nThe trip, organized by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), enabled Vermont students to travel to the Kennedy Institute, which is located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Students from Poultney High School, Twinfield Union School, West Rutland School and Woodstock High School participated.\r\nThe Vermont students took on the role of a senator for a day in a full-scale replica of the U.S. Senate chamber. The immersive experience includes researching public policy, introducing and debating legislation and working together to reach consensus.\r\n\u201cAt a time when many people feel alienated from the political process, and when voter participation is dangerously low, it is vitally important that we engage our youth to prepare them to be critical thinkers and future leaders,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cThis trip is a small, but important step for Vermont students to do just that.\u201d\r\nTerri Vest, who teaches at Twinfield Union School said, \u201cStudents in small, rural schools sometimes don't have an opportunity to have this type of experience. By creating a \u2018Vermont Day\u2019 for us, Senator Sanders has given my students the opportunity to engage with students from other schools. Learning about government and how it works is a critical part of our curriculum and has become more important as politics in America have become so divisive. This adventure in learning provides the opportunity for them to understand how complex lawmaking really is and how compromise is at the core of effective government.\u201d\r\nMatt Olewnik, a social studies teacher at West Rutland School, said, \u201cOur Vermont schools are moving curriculum toward a student-centered model, where learning is blended, authentic, and student and inquiry driven. Immersive experiences like this fit nicely into that model.\u201d\r\nSanders, who serves on the Senate education committee, gave the keynote speech at the Kennedy Institute\u2019s first anniversary last year. \u201cI was very impressed with the hands-on civics taught to visiting students and I discussed with the president of the Institute the possibility of organizing Vermont high school students to come down to participate in the innovative programming they have to offer,\u201d Sanders said, explaining the origins of \u201cVermont Day.\u201d\r\nThe bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate \u201cis dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our government, encouraging participatory democracy, invigorating civil discourse, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the civic life of their communities,\u201d according to its website.\r\nSanders is organizing another trip to the Kennedy Institute for Vermont students in March 2018. Schools and students that are interested in participating can contact his Burlington office at 1-800-339-9834.\r\nTo view pictures from \"Vermont Day,\"\u00a0click here.\r\n  Contact: Dan McLean, 802-862-6695", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-office-organizes-vermont-day_at-bostons-kennedy-institute"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6606571152806282, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}