Students govern for a day

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- The controversial airport issue took a beating in

council chambers Wednesday, but the subject was not argued by city

officials.

A mock council of seven high school students debated the issues

surrounding John Wayne Airport and the proposed El Toro airport before an

audience of their peers and some city officials.

But the council exercise was only a small part of the day for nearly 65

students from Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor high schools

participating in City Government Day.

The program allowed some students to sit in city officials’ seats for one

morning. Other students shadowed police officers and firefighters to

learn how their jobs fit into the machine that makes the city work.

Student involvement concluded with a two-hour mock city council meeting.

“I felt like the champion of the Southwest up there. Politics are very

interesting and it’s definitely a field of piranhas,” said Tony Melum, a

sophomore at Newport Harbor who sat on the council.

The experience helped to bring academic government classes to life.

Students took knowledge from textbooks and applied it to real-life

situations -- and they had fun with it.

Student spectators couldn’t help but take advantage of the “city

council,” which attempted to remain serious during the meeting. Some

poked fun at the council members’ ties during the public comment portion

and their laughter lightened the mood until council members slammed

comments right back.

The students’ abilities to think quickly on their feet, whether it was

for a comeback or to seriously answer a question, amazed the adult

audience.

Ros Bregozzo, a government teacher at Corona del Mar, was impressed with

their confidence.

“They knew they’d be evaluated by others -- especially with the cameras

on them. They all showed terrific skills,” Bregozzo said.

Newport Harbor sophomore Warren Shaeffer, 15, took the mayor’s seat. The

experience encouraged him to take a second look at the possibility of

community government.

“This was a great experience. This opens opportunities to me and could

lead me down a course of politics,” Shaeffer said.

Aside from the council meeting, students were spread out in other city

positions. Six students headed to the Newport Beach Police Department and

shadowed various officers.

Sgt. Mike McDermott marveled at how focused the students were in regard

to their futures.

“I thought the group we had here showed a lot of interest,” he said.

“They were very enthusiastic and wanted to participate. They have a good

grasp on where they’ll go and what they’ll accomplish.”