Recently, seventh graders at Trinity Christian Academy (TCA) finished their study of the United States Constitution by holding a series of mock congressional meetings of their own.

All seventh grade classes were allotted $30 to spend on snacks, and each individual student constructed a bill proposing how the money should be spent. Committees of students selected four bills before the entire grade voted on two final bills to be presented to the grade’s “Congress.”

Students elected a speaker of the house and a president pro tempore of the seventh grade “Senate” to guide negotiations. The grade’s “House of Representatives” deliberated between the two bills before choosing a compromise, which was passed on to the Senate for consideration. The Senate then made a few changes before passing the bill and returning it to the House, where it also passed.

 After experiencing the process and hard work it takes to successfully create legislation firsthand, TCA’s seventh grade class was excited to enjoy the fruits of their labor with a celebratory snack day, in accordance with the guidelines of their newly-enacted law.