Monthly Archives: January 2017

By: Chloe Opelt

A court trial has taken place in Room E2.016 in the State of Texas Capitol building on January 27, 2017. The question being, did Jenny Smith commit this murder out of her own will, or was she influenced by the prescription drug, Prozac, that she has been taking for her diagnosed depression and bipolar disorder? After the trial had taken place, Megan Antone ruled Jenny Smith guilty of first-degree murder after determining she was cognitively aware, leaving her accountable for her actions. Smith will be sent to prison, and sentencing will commence at a later date.

The prosecution attorney, Toiya Smith, battled against the defense witnesses by undermining their statements or finding holes in the case. Attorney Smith brought up hard evidence such as journal entries by Jenny only a few days before the murder, and even a murder weapon, found under jenny’s mattress. The journal entries previously stated, “it was easy,” referring to murdering Netlo.

There were two holes that were dug in the park that victim, Benjamin Netlo, was found in. These two holes suggested premeditation of the murder of Netlo, thus proving that Jenny Smith was not being fully influenced by the drug Prozac. A witness even gave a physical description of a girl they saw at the pond near the park the same day of the murder of Netlo. The description stated that a “goth looking girl, with long, red hair and blue eyes” was hanging around the pond that day. The prosecution had constant rebuttals and tried to poke holes in the defense witnesses by making them nervous or presenting hard-to-answer questions. Tactics like these, may have helped the prosecution acquire the desired result of the trial. The prosecution claimed that Prozac is proven to not have a high amount of negative side affects on people, and that the drug could not have driven Jenny Smith to perform the actions she did.

The defense attorneys tended to use a large sketch pad, centered at the front of the room to better provide a visual aide to the audience and judge to help prove points in their case. When the topic of journal entries came up, the defense responded with the question of relevance towards the case considering the fact that Jenny Smith has been found guilty of the murder but not of the state of mind she was in when she committed the crime. As for the murder weapon, nothing about the subject proves that she was/wasn’t in her right mind. The defense witnesses consisted of Jenny’s best friend and a counselor. Her best friend claimed that “Jenny wouldn’t do something like this” if she were in her right mind. The counselor also claimed to know that Jenny is “not capable of murder in the first” if she were not under an influence of some sort. Both defense witnesses when questioned by the prosecution admitted they were close to Jenny Smith and didn’t “want to see her get hurt,” which looks bad for them to the judge. The defense reiterated that Prozac is a black box drug, meaning that it has a warning when given to patients, that in can in fact cause negative side effects such as “suicide, self-harm, and anxiety.”

Both the defense and prosecution witnesses struggled with their recollection of certain events throughout the trial. Both sides picked and prodded at each other respectfully, while building their platform and trying to convince the judge of their side of the story. As the closing statements were presented, the last plea for belief was given, and the court took a recess to give the judge time to make a ruling. Upon re-entrance to the court, Judge Antone found Jenny Smith guilty of murder in the first degree, not under the influence of Prozac. This ruling means a sentencing to a penitentiary in the near future for Jenny Smith.

By: Chloe Opelt

The Youth and Government program available to all high school attendees, has seemed to have a long-lasting impact on the lives of the participants. From present day delegates to past Youth and Government members, all have had more than enough to say about the effect of the program on not only their personalities, but their futures as well.

Kennedy Montgomery, YMCA Youth and Government Governor of 2016, made a trip from Fort Worth(Timberview High School) to join the masses at the State Conference this year. Montgomery has participated in two state conferences, as well as legislative actions and the chief of staff for governor in his former Michigan delegation. learned the importance of leadership, unity, service, and just helping others, as well as the idea of democracy and love.” Montgomery strongly believes that the program that he has been a part of for four years has impacted his life positively. “It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant.”  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

“I learned the importance of leadership, unity, service, and just helping others, as well as the idea of democracy and love,” Montgomery said.  Montgomery strongly believes that the program that he has been a part of for four years has impacted his life positively. “It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant.”  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

Montgomery strongly believes that the program that he has been a part of for four years has impacted his life positively. “It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant.”  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

“It changed my life, I used to want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but now I definitely want to be a public servant,” Montgomery said.  When asked about the personality changes in the recent past, Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. Overall, the influence this single program has had on Montgomery and his future is astounding and inspiring.

Montgomery accredited them to the program itself, claiming that it has “enhanced the overall spirit” of his personality. 

Gracie Porter, a fourth-year delegate, is Print Editor at the 70th annual State Youth and Government Conference. Better communication skills, multi-tasking skills, and refinement of writing style are all components of the new pallet Youth and Government has provided to Porter. Porter claims that this program has “helped

By: Willow Dalehite

On the first day of the 2017 Youth & Government State competition, State Affairs delegates convened at the Texas Capitol to outline their proposals and engage in discussion about various governmental reforms. Aly Cerda,16, Ash Pellette, 17 and Emily Gentry, 16 are delegates from the Ann Richards School who created a proposal to address sexual assault on college campuses. In the morning before the competition, the group practiced in the Senate Chamber, where their forum was held. After a long day the proposal was not passed, and this was decided based on the quality of the presentation and the bill itself. 

The proposal focused on providing better enforcement of Title IX, which serves to protect students in federally funded educational institutions from discrimination based on sex, according to the U.S. Department of Education. “Our proposal is based mostly around the implementation of Title IX and making sure that it stays as a big part of the community in college,” Gentry said. “Upon enrollment to a Texas university you would be sent out a survey asking if you would like to be a correspondent with the Texas Board of Education, and every six weeks (or sooner if it’s deemed necessary) you are able to report back to the Texas Board of Education and say, ‘My Title IX offices are upholding this’ or ‘I feel like there’s a really big problem with this’, and punishments will be given out, such as fines, for Title IX not working.”

This issue has gained attention as a result of recent sexual assault cases such as that of Brock Turner, the Stanford swimmer who received three months imprisonment for committing a felony sexual assault even though he faced a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, according to the New York Times. “Knowing that Brock Turner only went to jail for, what, three months and got out in good behavior is kind of ridiculous to me,” Gentry said. “I want to change that for not even just this competition, but I would like to see these reforms actually happen.”

Cerda cited personal and common fear in the importance of the group’s proposal. “After senior year I will be going into college, and with a new president elect who has normalized sexual assault talk as ‘locker room talk’ and just hearing people in my everyday life normalizing sexual assault, it is my number one fear,” she said. 

The impact of the proposal aims to help destigmatize those who report sexual assault cases and increase communication between college students and Texas agencies that serve them, and does not claim to be able to eradicate sexual assault on college campuses. “I just want people to think about it more,” Cerda said. “We all know that it’s something that’s happening, and a lot of people definitely turn a cheek to it because it’s not something that we can fix in an instant and a lot of people think that things we can’t fix in an instant we might as well not talk about.”

“I want people to feel comfortable talking about

By: Faith Pawley

First-year Delegate Ashish Dave has big plans for Texas. Changing road quality in cities and near airports to improve driving conditions and first impressions. He wanted to invest $10 billion dollars in road improvement through the use of funds and bonds. The bill was passed by a majority vote.

“Every Sunday during football season, my family and I go to the Texans’ games at Reliant Stadium,” Dave said. “We always have so much fun, but the one thing we all complain about are the roads.”

Dave used his own experience in Houston to support his argument of his bill. He brought up the fact of the numerous potholes, bumps and on-going construction in the city. He felt like the poorly-shaped roads of Houston was in great need. Thus, he began his research and presented his idea to the Hyde House.

“For the one time investments, it’s going to need some repairs. This will transform Texas,” Dave said. “We will get new roads again. Our roads will be safe again. This will benefit all involved and the drivers too. “

This bill created a great amount of debate in the Hyde House. He answered their questions clearly, supported by his resources of The National Highway Administration.

Many delegates supported his proposal, but one delegate was adamantly against it. He believed that it was un-economical and not supported well due to the few facts presented. He believed it should be tabled for he felt like it could not work with the current economical structure.

However, many of the delegates believed that many great changes would be in affect if the bill passed. Sebastian Callet supported the bill fully. He thought that the bill would improve street-front businesses and also believed that it would increase tourism in the city of Houston.  

“I really feel like it was a risk worth taking, there was really very little risk involved and we would get three-fold the profit,” Callet said. “Also it’s great for targeting Texas as a whole, it’s not going after one person or one place.”

Passing the Torch

By: Sophia North

Jeanmarie Kmetz has been passed the torch as she now runs for attorney general to try to continue her two older brothers’ legacies. They were both attorney generals for Youth and Government and helped motivate her to follow in their footsteps.

“I really looked up to them as individuals and they helped me become a leader,” Kmetz said.

Not only did they inspire her to run, but they inspired her ideas as well.

Kmetz seeks to continue the platform her brother ran for by “carrying on the idea of making instructional videos.”

She finds the videos to be helpful for others because they prepare them for cross questions as well as expose viewers to the perspective of both the attorney and the witness. This idea was originally presented by her older brother, but she wants to continue on that aspect of Youth and Government.

Additionally, she pushes for originality in court cases.

She has observed that details in the court case “are the same every single year” so she is pushing for using “brand new names and brand new locations,” since Joshua Sapp and Amelie Hodges have been used repeatedly, as well as the street Penny Park Place in Brookbend, Texas.

Her ideas and opinions were encouraged to be heard by her family as well.

“I have an awesome family and I gained a lot of respect for them,” said Kmetz. “They encouraged me to voice my opinion and have my voice be heard, especially since I’m a woman.”

She also received encouragement and guidance from her close friend, and previous attorney general candidate, Cole Lehman.

He helped her with the position of attorney general by teaching her to be more “personable” through his own “kind and friendly personality.”

Also, as she addresses ideas previously presented by her brothers’, Lehman sees her as effectively carrying on her brothers’ legacy.

“I think she’s a very good candidate, and I like her policies because they are still good,” Lehman said.

Cole’s sister, Landis Lehman, feels that Kmetz will be efficient if she wins.

“She’s so nice and friendly, and I feel like she will actually follow through with the things she’s proposing,” Landis said.

Saturday Youth and Government delegates will vote to determine if Kmetz will take on the position that has been passed down from sibling to sibling.

By: Kathryn Horton

The Youth and Government state conference grants two days of simulating life working in government, but does it truly entail the daily life of a politician? Many students have been inspired by Youth and Government to continue their life in politics and make it their career, but some wonder if it adequately prepares them for real political life.

Bryan Shufelt, Chief of Staff at the capital and former YMCA staff person, revealed that in terms of preparation Youth and Government “gives you a taste. I’m not sure how much anyone can be completely prepared for the legislature, but going through that definitely gives you a leg up over someone who hasn’t.” Shufelt believes the legislature includes long and complicated processes that are very hard to simulate in student organizations due to the time commitment and the amount of people involved. However, a leg-up on others in politics could mean the difference between being elected or not.

Striving to make Youth and Government as similar to real government as possible is a constant goal, and Shufelt believes that adding more lobbyist and constituents could aid in this process. The constituents, those who could not attend the state conference, could stay home and express their ideas from there. A large part of government daily life for Shefult is taking what the constituents at home (Fort Worth) say and proposing that in Austin.

Hays High School delegate Mackenzie Smith, believes that in terms of preparing for a political career, Youth and Government “gives you the foundation… I think it gives you a baseline that not necessarily everyone has.” Smith believes that political science and law classes are the most important in terms of preparation.

Overall, Shufelt said that Youth and Government does a good job of representing real political life with such a short time. Shufelt said, “from what I’ve seen, it’s pretty realistic. The only problem is you only have three days so you can’t do the entire process which takes 100 days. I think you guys scale it pretty well.”

The advice Shefult has for aspiring politicians is this, “Watch what you post on social media; whatever you put online will come back to bite you. Make sure you don’t stay in an echo chamber, by this I mean engage with people that you don’t agree with to understand their thought process.”

by Caden Ziegler

During the Governor & Lobbyist Breakfast, each of the governor candidates gave a speech presenting their platform to the small congregation of lobbyists, Governor’s cabinet members, and the current Governor himself. After their speeches, there was a short Q&A for each candidate, Governor Kennedy Montgomery took this opportunity to ask how these candidates would assume his position in office.

Montgomery states that he believes that one of the most necessary qualities of a Governor is to serve the public.

“I honestly believe it starts with opening your heart and opening your mind,” Montgomery said. “To figure out and find the needs and wants of every delegate, and how you can best encompass and serve everyone. You do a lot of talking, you do a lot of speaking, but I believe listening is a big part of servant leadership. Addressing the needs of every delegate is an integral part of being governor. If you can’t listen then you don’t know, and if you don’t know, you can’t help.”

 Every candidate at the breakfast was asked about unity among the districts and delegations.

Candidate Jordan Clemets attempts to unify Texas YG by implementing a free broadcast of the conferences using Facebook’s live stream feature. “

[Unity] is extremely important because our state is large and vast. Unity is a core principle of Texas. We are constitutionally allowed to split into five different states,

“[Unity] is extremely important because our state is large and vast,” Clements said. “Unity is a core principle of Texas. We are constitutionally allowed to split into five different states, however we don’t because we are united as one large, glorious state. I feel like unity is very important because it represents that as well, whether we are from Midland, Dallas, Ft.Worth, Houston, or Austin. We are all in this together and we are all Texans.”

Ossmar Cardiel, another candidate, also spoke a lot about unity in his speech. Montgomery asked Cardiel what plans he had to unify YG if he were to win.

“On my tri-fold I also have my Snapchat on there so people can reach me there, because a lot of our delegates…stay active on social media such as Snapchat, Twitter, and so on,” Cardiel said.

Communication is a large part of Cardiel’s platform, he states that  “one person can accomplish a lot of things, but… together, and with the whole idea of unity, we could actually accomplish a lot more if we all work as one.”

The third present candidate was Sharif Long. He plans to unify the districts by the second part of his platform; equality.

“Governor Montgomery has done a great job of implementing unity on his platform last year, and [he] really [wants to] build off of that with [his] platform. There is no doubt that everyone in the programs voice matters,” Long said.

Montgomery said “[he is] just interested to see how it all plays out,” since “they are all pretty good candidates” and “they all believe in the essence and power of unity.”

Due to a mix up regarding Christopher Sharon’s schedule, the fourth candidate was not present during the Governer’s Breakfast. For this reason, he was not mentioned in this article.

By: Briana Taylor

District Courts within the state of Texas are responsible for handling criminal cases and felonies presented in the court system. Round One of the Texas Youth and Government State conference judicial district courts commenced around 9 a.m. Friday morning, with hundreds of delegates from five districts in attendance throughout the Texas State Capitol. Prior to the conference, delegates in the judicial branch were responsible for grouping themselves in teams of up to six from their delegation and selecting roles which include witness, attorney, and bailiff. Delegates then prepare their case by reviewing the details of their position and practicing for months before the conference. These delegates must think on their feet in the courtroom and be able to work well under pressure. As the proceedings of Round One unfolded, delegates from group 9 and group 13 proved to be prime examples of these attributes. As Valeria Salinas from attending team 13 stated prior to the trial, “My biggest goal for this round would be to learn from it; learn how to tackle the attorneys’ questions, and also have fun.”

In this year’s Mock Trial case, “The Stone Cold Teenage Killer: The State of Texas v. Jenny Smith,” we see the prosecution and defense of 15 year old Jenny Smith, who has been convicted of murdering seven year old Benjamin Netlo. The trial sought to dispute if Jenny Smith, considered clinically depressed, was within her right mind while committing the murder, due to the fact that she was, at the time, prescribed a debatable dosage of the antidepressant Prozac. Team nine (District five) served as the prosecution, claiming that the prescription of Prozac did not cloud Miss Smith’s judgement, while team 13 (District three) served as the defense, claiming that Miss Smith was not mentally stable and had no control over her actions.

The trial began with the entrance of Judge Schramm, who then proceeded to swear in all witnesses in attendance. The prosecution was then allowed to present their opening statement, to which the defense passed. The first witness called to the stand by the prosecution, Detective Amelie Hodges, served to outline the details of the murder itself. The prosecution then called up Dr. Joshua Sapp, a medical examiner, whose purpose was to report the findings of his autopsy of Benjamin Netlo. Finally, the prosecution introduced Dr. Austin Myles, a psychopharmacologist, in order to testify as to the mental state of Jenny Smith and the effect of Prozac on her mental state. Throughout this presentation of witnesses, defense attorneys could, and did, rebuttal many of the statements made by prosecution attorneys and witnesses in order to build their argument against their opponents.

The defense was then allowed to present their opening statement and called up their first witness, Dr. Kathryn O’Reilly,  who was brought to the stand due to the fact that she was Jenny Smith’s psychologist. Next, the defense brought Jenny Smith’s High School counselor, Joanna Stemblay, to the stand. Lastly, the defense called Jenny Smith’s best friend and neighbor, Jamie Manning, to the stand, who knew Miss Smith better than anyone else. The prosecution was able to cross examine these witnesses as well, and built their case through the use of opposing questions.

After both the prosecution and defense had presented their witnesses and evidence, each side was allowed to deliver their closing statements. Closing statements provide counter arguments to statements made by the witnesses of the opposing team and make a lasting impression on the judge.

This lengthy and intricate trial is evidence of the hard work that each delegate puts in to ensure that their team emerges victorious. According to Grace Coleson (Team 9), “We practice as much as we can during the week, and we also go in after school and practice until 5 p.m.”  Despite all of the effort each team contributed, only one team can win the trial, and this round that victor was team 13. Their quick wit, presentation of evidence, and perseverance all came together to earn them the victory in the first round of a very long day ahead of them.

By Briana Taylor

In our ever-changing society, it’s hard to know everything about a person just by looking at them. Are they into heavy metal or Mozart? Are they a dog person or a cat person? Many questions similar to these are no longer answered at a single glance. One pressing topic seen this year at our State conference is a question that’s similar to these in nature, yet doesn’t seem to get enough recognition. Supplying students with food allergies or other dietary restraints, such as vegans or vegetarians, with suitable meals during the state conference is an issue that can easily be fixed. But what if the food these students are being provided is less than satisfactory?

Being a vegetarian myself, I am no stranger to the lunch options debate. Sometimes it’s either ham or turkey or you get nothing at all, and other times people assume that because vegetarians don’t eat meat that they want a loaded lettuce sandwich instead. However, this assumption is the farthest thing from the truth. Chloe Opelt (District 2), a non-vegetarian, says that she’s, “never had the fear that there wouldn’t be something for me to eat when I go to lunch. It’s just never been an issue.” Unfortunately, many students including myself have had that fear cross our minds.

Thankfully, the Youth and Government program has been gracious enough to provide meals for those who cannot or choose not to eat the standard issued meal. When entering the lunchroom, you’re immediately greeted with walls filled with delicious looking options from sandwiches to ice cream and even barbecue. The island in the middle of the room is a coffee station and a salad bar, equip with everything a person could need to make the lunch of their dreams, if not more.

Much to our dismay, the main lunch area isn’t meant for Youth and Government Delegates. Our station is right around the corner, and it is a hub where we can pick up one of many sacked lunches filled with a ham or turkey sandwich, chips, cookies, an apple, and a water bottle. However, if you look to the left of the table you’ll find a small box with the word “Veggies” scribbled on in Sharpie. Even more disheartening is the fact that gluten free and vegan students have to inquire about their “specialized” meals and cannot just simply grab one off the rack.

The vegetarian meals are a pretty good spread; they feature the same items as the regular meals, but instead of ham or turkey on their sandwiches they are stuffed with vegetables – onions, mushrooms, lettuce, and tomato. “I think it’s a good alternative for the kids who don’t eat meat, but it doesn’t seem fair that they don’t get a second option like everyone else,” says Keely Smith (District 2). Keely says she has many friends who are vegetarians, and that they were satisfied with the lunch provided to them. Hopefully, Youth and Government will be able to expand upon the options they provide to students in years to come, and will continue to make the State conference one that everyone can enjoy.

“I think it’s a good alternative for the kids who don’t eat meat, but it doesn’t seem fair that they don’t get a second option like everyone else,” says Keely Smith (District 2).

Keely says she has many friends who are vegetarians, and that they were satisfied with the lunch provided to them.

Hopefully, Youth and Government will be able to expand upon the options they provide to students in years to come, and will continue to make the State conference one that everyone can enjoy.