Students Write to State Representatives

As many of you probably already know, a bill is being considered in the Massachussetts state legislature which would increase the age requirement for receiving a driver's license, along with proposing a number of other changes.

The bill has caused quite a bit of public debate, and we decided to get involved. Many of the students, like their peers, found objection with this prospect of waiting an extra year for their licenses, and wrote letters to our state representatives. We read up on the issue, studied the statistics and causes of teenage driving accidents, and looked at alternative solutions to the problem. We then drafted our letters, selected the strongest candidates, and mailed them not only to Representative Teahan and Senator Morrissey, but to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House.

I have to say one thing to my students: I'm extremely proud of you all and very impressed with your work. I not only mailed out the letters that you voted on, but I've also been showing them off to a number of other people: Ms. Moschella, the head of the English department, my friends, and even a professor at a local college. They all admired your writing!

I appreciate the thought and effort you put into your letters, and I have no doubt that they will make a great impression on the state representatives we mail them to.  I hope that everyone takes a chance to mail or email their own letters. These readers are our representatives who take part in shaping our laws and government, and one day you will be the ones who decide who to vote into (or out of) office. I hope that you take the time in the future to write about the things that you care about.

With permission, I'm hoping to post a couple of your letters on this page. Keep up the good work!