Second Annual Third Grade Mock Town Meeting: June 3 & 4 at Old Ship

May 30, 2024 Submitted by Friends of Old Ship Meeting House

The end of the school year provides a variety of learning opportunities for Hingham students at all grade levels. Field trips and proms make lasting memories beyond the classroom walls. And this year, Hingham’s Third Graders will again participate in their very own Mock Town Meeting—with warrant articles they have written themselves! What a great introduction to democracy, and Hingham’s Open Town Meeting law-making process.

The 2024 Third Grade Mock Town Meeting again takes place at the historic Old Ship Meeting House:  – 9:15  June 3rd: Plymouth River and Foster Elementary Schools 3rd grade students. – 9:15 June 4th: East and South Elementary Schools 3rd grade students.

The event is hosted by the Friends of Old Ship Meeting House under the leadership of the Friends board member and former Hingham elementary school teacher Bev Vernon, and with the support of the 3rd grade teachers at our 4 public elementary schools. In preparation for their Mock Town Meeting, third grade classes have worked with Hingham elementary school writing specialist Monica Matthews to first select topics and then write a total of 13 warrant articles. The students also have prepared arguments pro and con—just like the process Hingham follows for our real Open Town Meeting. Hingham Town Moderator Michael Puzo welcomed the opportunity to review the 3rd graders’ warrant articles and help the students follow Town Meeting procedures. Puzo commented: ”This is a wonderful opportunity for Hingham’s third graders to take part in a mock town meeting and to prepare for the day – not so far distant – when they will have voice and vote at the “real thing”.”

Shannon Gill, a third-grade teacher at South Elementary School and a Hingham resident said: “I’m happy to have our students exposed to the form of government our Town has used for centuries. Students benefit from learning to write and think about issues that relate to our town.” She also pointed out that “The Old Ship Meeting House, built in 1681, is where Hingham’s Town Meeting met from 1682 to 1780. How wonderful that the 3rd graders will meet in this historic building.”

Joining the third graders for their legislative immersion, along with Town Moderator Michael Puzo  who will officiate, are members of our Massachusetts State House delegation, Hingham’s Select Board, Hingham’s School Committee, and school administrators. Members of the League of  Women Voters of Hingham are volunteering as ushers for the event. Following each day’s Mock Town Meeting, the Hingham Historical Society will bring the third-grade classes to the Hingham Heritage Museum and the Benjamin Lincoln House.

Hingham’s Third Grade Mock Town Meeting will begin at 9:15 AM on both days and the public is welcome. Seating is limited at the Meeting House, and preference will be given to family members of third grade students. Harbor Media will record both days of the Mock Town Meeting for later posting on their YouTube channel and airing on Hingham’s community cable TV.

To learn more about the Friends of Old Ship Meeting House: www.oldshipfriends.org