CMS students take part in experience at Cedartown City Hall, hold mock Commission meeting

It is important to know what is going on in your community, even from an early age. That’s the lesson Cedartown Middle School students who got to take a trip to City Hall from Commissioner Matt Foster’s class got last Friday on a field trip.

The class came into City Hall with parts to play in a mock City Commission meeting for the midday exercise, but first they got a quick overview on the importance of what the city does from City Manager Edward Guzman.

He went into an explanation of what city government does and how it works, covering what each department does and how tax dollars are spent on trying to improve the lives of people who live within the city.

Ultimately, his point being that everything is local when it comes to the day-to-day lives of residents in Cedartown. Pot holes need to be patched, ball fields need to be kept up, police and fire provide protection to residents and business owners alike. Municipal courts take care of traffic tickets. The water works that keep the pipes filled continue onward day and night as the clock ticks away.

All of that at some point has to come within the purview of Cedartown City Commissioners, whether it be for the purchase of new equipment to whether city residents can keep chickens in their backyards.

Then the teens got a chance to get a taste of what kinds of decisions the City Commission has to make on a monthly basis when they meet.

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Commissioner Matt Foster had a plan in place and a script for his students to follow, but chose a group that may one day sit on the same board. DJ Price was chosen as the Commission Chair, and the rest of the board was filled out by Abby Allred, Ria Patel, Brenna McDonald, and Rohan Kent. He even had students step up to fill in the administrative roles: Cristian Perez was city manager, Evelyn Cortes the Clerk recording the minutes, and Emir Morillon provided counsel as the city attorney.

He even had Ella Popham and Chris Johnson come into ask the commissioners for use of park facilities, a common need for people who are looking to hold events, camps and much more places like Bert Wood and Peek’s Park.

GALLERY: Students hold mock City Commission meeting

Before the field trip was over, Foster reminded his students of another important civics lesson he hopes they carry with them through the years to come, which he provided in Latin. Non nobis solum – Not for ourselves alone.

Long ago before he sat on the commission after he finished his studies, Foster learned the phrase at a YMCA camp while in Quebec where he worked for a time. It stuck with him, and he repeated it to the students as their mock meeting wrapped up.

His point being that communities must work together not for their individual gain, but to ensure that those who call Cedartown home can enjoy their lives now and for the generations to come in the future.