CHS sent a few of our senior students to Rend Lake College to participate in Senator Terri Bryant’s Youth Advisory Council on October 9, 2025. The students, Camryn Wolff, Lillian Diskey, and Addison Gottschammer, were accompanied by Mrs. Clendenin and Mr. Ruehling. At the event, they had the opportunity to meet several members of our state government and learn about the passing of bills and why voting is incredibly important.

The event began with multiple guest speakers such as Senator Terri Bryant, Lori Ragland, the president of the college, and several other members of our state government. Each speaker discussed their position and how they use it. They also encouraged the attendees to vote for what they wanted and to not be afraid to contact members of the state government if they wanted a change to be made. After that, the schools were separated into large groups and asked to come up with a bill that they would like to be passed within a time limit of 45 minutes. Once the time was up, each group had to present their bill and they voted on which one they liked best. The winner was a bill called “Free the Flow”. If passed, the bill would require women’s hygiene products such as pads and tampons to be provided for free in all public bathrooms.

Those who went reportedly found the trip to be quite enjoyable and a great learning experience. As said by Camryn Wolff, “I thought the trip was an amazing learning experience that really brought me out of my comfort zone.” According to Mrs. Clendenin, they are looking forward to attending the event in Springfield in the spring as well.