KYA Journal

Volume 1: Issue 3

November 21, 2015

The Governor Spotlight

By: Clair Harmon
On a day when over 1,000 high
school students are scrambling
around debating, presenting, voting,
and participating in the largest youth
in government program in Kentucky,
our elected governor, Ms. Lexie Stepro, seems to be the busiest of them
all. After a number of hours, I was
finally able to catch her between
meetings with hopeful delegates and
ask her a few questions pertaining to
KYA, herself, and her advice.

Legislative Candidates

MAGGIE CAHILL
Sacred Heart Acadamy
Its an awesome opportunity to
meet people from all over
Kentucky.

Q: What do you believe sets KYA

apart from any youth in government program?
A: Culture, friendships and content.
I think its really those three things
that speak to me and seeing everyones passions from the place they
actually reside is refreshing.
Q: What was your reaction when
you learned you were elected
governor?
A: I cried. I cried so hard. When
the Speaker of the House was announced, I literally threw my head in
my lap and started crying because Id
wanted this for so long. Not because
I wanted to put it on a college application, but because I love this program so much and I wanted to give
back.
Q: What is the best advice you
would give to the current candidates vying for your position?
A: Be okay with what happens because if you get elected into office,
theres a reason. If you dont get

Why Did
They Run?

Photo Courtesy of Media Corp

elected, it just wasnt meant for you.

Maybe it was the right thing in your
mind, but you were meant to be part
of the legislation or be part of the
congressional. Dont let that dictate
everything you do in this conference
from now on.
Q: When you address the delegates, youre formal but you
also speak very candidly and joke
around. How do you draw the line
between speaking professionally
as the governor and casually addressing your peers?
A: Its difficult to straddle that line,
but I want to do my best to remain
professional and keep the delegates
engaged at the same time. If Im
spouting out nonsense, no one will
listen. I know if I talk to them instead
of with them, then no one will listen.
Its important to set that conversa-

HALEY DICKEN
Gatton Acadamy
I was premiere president of the
senate and I really enjoyed it.

NATALIE MCANINCH
Casey Co. HS
The Ys been a huge part of my
life I want to make people feel
welcome

tion standard. I respect you, you respect me. I want to address the delegates in a way that they feel they can
say something back to me while still
being engaged.
Q: If you could have a conversation with your younger self during
your first KYA conference, what
would you say and what advice
would you give?
A: Stop shifting my weight from one
foot to the other while speaking and
talking really fast. I would tell myself,
Youre up here for a reason.
Q: What are your plans after this
conference and do you wish to
pursue politics?
A: I do not want to pursue politics.
I want to pursue activism and be a
servant and leader in my community.
Thats what Im passionate about. Im
not passionate about being politically
superior. Im passionate about serving my community and letting voices
be heard in the democracy. I can get
more done standing on my soapbox
than I can in a Congress building.
Q: Whats your opinion on the
youth voter turnout in Kentucky

and do you have any solutions to

offer?
A: Im so disappointed in it. I think
one of the things we really have to
reiterate is just because it looks like
a surefire win, doesnt mean you can
not go out and vote. I think one of
the things that really got people is,
when polling, Conway was polling so
much higher than Bevin so everyone
thought, If Conways the one Im
voting for, then I dont have to go out
and vote because these other people
have got me covered. If everyone has
the same idea, then no ones going
to vote. In reality, seventeen percent
of Kentucky got to determine where
the states going and, while thats
disappointing, its a valuable lesson
for voters. If one hundred percent of
you dont go out and vote, then none
of you have the right to speak out
against the policies happening.

NICOLE BLACKSTONE
Elizabethtown HS
I didnt really know I had a voice
until the Y came into my life.

Governor Stepro is obviously a passionate person who truly cares about

this program and the idea of democracy. Weve all learned a lot from her
over the past three days and she sets
a perfect example of what a governor should be: engaged, caring, and
selfless.

Dear Premiere Delegates,

By: Morgan Day
You are young. Your voices may
be quiet but they are ever present.
You may be small, but your actions
never are. Please I beg of you premiere delegates of KYA, never stop.
They say your voices are small,
but they are growing. They say we
are self-involved, but I see all of
you and that is not a conclusion
I can come to. We are here. I look
at all of you and see ideas, words
and actions larger than life. Never
stop. You are the next generation.
When we leave, these halls belong

LIZZIE HAMILTON
Assumption
Personally, I am really passionate
about KYA I would love to hear
other peoples voices.

to you. Cherish them. On them, are

the memories that we leave. In these
rooms, friendships were formed and
problems were solved. In our cups,
smoothies were had and ale 8 was
pour. You have the responsibility to
keep our legacy going. Dance you
hearts out. Make friends that you
will keep for a lifetime. Speak like it
is your last time.
With Love,
An Experienced Delegate

LEEA COLLARD
Oldham Co. HS
I came to KYA and watched all of
the governors and really felt inspired.

PEYTON JOHNSTON
Presentation Accadamy
Although its one of my biggest
fears, Its something that Im really
proud of for myself.

Candidate Overview
By: Jordan Wallace
When they presented their speeches of why they should be the next
KYA Governor, they had shown that
they all have a lot of potential. Some
more than others. Their promises and their platforms gave them
good reasons why they should be
elected, and they also gave the KYA
delegates lots to think about for
the next 24+ hours about who they
want to vote for and why.
These 14 people show that the youth
of Kentucky is smart, resourceful,
and that we notice things that are
going on around our little bubbles.
They have shown us that we can do
more than we limit ourselves to, if
we think things through and work
together.
These young bright, shining stars
give us hope that there are possibilities to a better world and home,
and no matter who wins, our next
Governor will help us make Kentucky
a better place. These 14 people will
be hard to choose between because
they each show great promise in
their own ways.
Each Candidate has their own three
platforms, and these people have
chosen their three, and they have

worked very hard to prove to you

why their platforms are more important, and why you should vote
for them instead of the others. This
is why these 14 Delegates were
chosen to be in the running for Governor for the 2016 term of KYA.
Their integrity.

SPENCER STEWART

Sayre
I love KYA, I love this place. You
actually get to get out there and
meet people.

Their passion.
Their confidence.
Their love for their State.
And most importantly, for their love
for the people of this state.
We are the future of this state. The
candidate that will be elected will
be held up to great expectations,
and to lead us even further into a
brighter future. These fourteen people were chosen to be in the running
for governor because they all have
the qualities listed above. Fourteen
will enter into the running, but only
one will come out of this years KYA
gathering as the 2016 KYA Governor.
Vote for who you think would do the
best job as your KYA Governor.

SOPHIE BURZYNSKI
Sacred Heart Acadamy
Many new people come together
to talk about what they love. Everyone is so welcoming and kind.

CATHERINE MCANINCH
Casey Co. HS
I think I can make a difference. Its
just a great feeling.

KYA Overview

Premiere Candidates

By: Olivia Forester & Jared Grimes

The KYA experience is all about democracy. Each room from the House
to the Senate overflows with such
great passion which can be heard
through each bill authors voice.
This passion can be felt by everyone
in the rooms. So, wanting to know
more about what intrigued these
passions, we sat down with some
bill authors to discuss their bill and
their ideas behind them.

When we talked with Owensboro,

their story was one that everyone
in the room was emotionally drawn
to. Their bill was about altering high
school diplomas title(s) for special
needs students. Special education
students diploma is equal to that
of a high school drop out, when they
are graduating. With this bill enacted students who have special needs
will have more job opportunities, in-

SOPHIE RITZENTHALER
Assumption
I know that even if I dont win, I
had the confidence to get up on
that stage.

crease their potentials, and help further their success.

Over all of the skepticism and debating
the bill passed.
We talked to Edmonson
County,
each member of
the bill team was
very adamant about
helping second offenders getting back
on the road to recovery. Their bill was to require a
nine-week rehabilitation program for
people who have been charged with
a second offense for being under the
influence of any illegal substance.
Knowing that drugs are one of the
major problems are state faces they
wanted a bill to help combat with the
growing issue. Drugs affect people
everywhere, whether thats directly
or indirectly, they consume peoples
lives. With financial ability coming
into play, the bill was defeated.
For one of our final meetings we met
with West Carter, who had a personal backstory for their bill. Their bill
was to administrate contraception
to mothers who have given birth
to drug addicted babies. The main

Go For It!
Bluegrass
January
16-18, 2016
Camp Loucon

LILLY ADDINGTON
Elizabethtown HS
I wanted to see if there was a way
to find a new solution.
Photo Courtesy of Media Corp

cause was stop the growing rate

of drug addicted children born into
Kentucky and help prevent drug
abuse among mothers. Knowing first
hand about children being born under these circumstances, they knew
the terrible effects it has on a childs
life.
With defeats and passes each of the
schools play an important role in
what is the true meaning of democracy. Just interviewing a small portion of the bill authors, we saw and
heard the passion in everyone one
of them. It has been a great honor
meeting with each of these schools
and we thank them for sharing their
reasons behind writing each of their
bills.

PARKER ACKLES
Oldham Co. HS
It gave me a lot of life lessons.

MISSY HILL
Sayre School
It gave me a lot of life lessons.

A Look Into Specialized Programs

Our Own Judicial Review
By: Morgan Day
Appellant or Appellee, Justice or
Judge; with each role in the judicial
program there comes great responsibility. Each team forms well-organized arguments to try and win
the case. They use past court cases to debate the constitutionality
of an action done by the state. Its
not all smooth rolling for the appellants or appellees. For example, they
may interpret the case in the wrong
way and have to completely redo the
speeches and arguments they came
up with. (Not that this happened
to a school here.) The justices fire
composed question to better understand the statements that each team
makes. With these questions, some
may prove to be knowledgeable while
others fail to answer the questions
gracefully. The case being debated
today it one about Massey City Bd
of Education VS Story. Massey City
Board of Education distributed drug
test to 10% of the school. They be-

lieve they have probable cause because of a anonymous survey they

asked students to answer. The Appellants believe that this is no reason
to conduct drug testing because the
survey has no way of being verified.
The question that arises is, is this
constitutional? We shall see.

Technology in Congressional

By: Katy Haering

The disappointment of being unable
to visit the Capitol this year was
heartbreaking. However, the Congressional team adapted to the situation with the new technology in the
Louisville Metro Council.
At the beginning of the day, the Clerk,
Stephen Ott, and the Assistant Clerk,
David Wagner, come into the room to
teach us about the new technology
used by Congressional. They allowed
the delegates to sign into the council
members accounts in order to buzz

in and vote on the bills presented.

They assumed the name of the council member and mimicked the roles of
them. Even though it was an exciting
change to the system, I took some
time to adjust to the equipment, but
once they were comfortable with it,
they flew through presenting every
bill.
After lunch, Ott came back with an
example of a meeting agenda the
council members use daily. He then
gave the Congressional members a
mockup of what the agenda would be
if their bills were being presented as
a part of the Metro Louisville Government. This new experience gave them
a different perspective into the Congressional program. As Emily Schulman said, I love technology! This
technology at the Louisville Metro
Council is an upgrade from the Capitol making this year a special one.

Popular Bill Topic of KYA: Education

By: Lane Ryan

Bills presented at KYA 1 this year

seem to have a shift in their focus
towards education. Students are
becoming more concerned with issues about our state governments
education standards. There are a
total of 16 legislative bills concerning education and the required
Kentucky standards.
These bills propose ideas for
resolving various issues in our
education system. Sarah Haney, a
delegate from Walden High School,
sees the need for youth voter turnout. According to Haney, Kentucky
education needs to stop letting its
students remain ignorant about the
political field.

This is just one of

the many problems Kentuckian
students see
with the education system they
attend every day.
Connor Wilkerson
of North Laurel
High School sees
problems with the
lack of sex education, while Peyton
Barnhill, a student
from Knox Central
High School, sees issues with the
lack of art education.

Photo Courtesy of Media Corp

Art is being pushed aside, Barnhill

says, its really a lost cause.

Uniformed Sex Education Curriculum: Yea or Nay?

By: M. Baumgardner, A. Rough
Education has been a popular subject
for many bills during this years KYA
conference.
Specifically, Bill #54 sent a rowdy
discussion through the caucus when
it was passed by a landslide both in
Red Tag Senate A and Red Tag House
A. Bill #54, written by Mary Wurtz,
Eileen Bunch, and Spencer Cox of Villa Madonna Academy, calls for a uniform sex education curriculum provided by the Kentucky Department of
Education.
A major issue under the current sexual education standards is solely
based on the public education taught
being medically inaccurate and excluding contraceptive information.
These issues were addressed by simply stating that today, it is unknown
exactly what is taught in Sex Ed
classes across the Commonwealth.
Educating grades 6-12 on abstinence alone is not enough according
to the bill authors of Villa Madonna
Academy, whom clearly stated statistics such as the fact that 34% of

high school students admit to engaging in sexual activity. (break this up

into two sentences, ...of VMD. The
bill authors found that...) Considering most delegates doubted the assurance of teenage abstinence, this
up and coming curriculum insures to
inform students on topics including
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
and birth control, while still implementing the traditional abstinence
based teachings.
The Red Tag delegates that were observed had plenty of favors as well as
oppositions following the presentation of this bill. Here is a list of Pros
and Cons discussed during the debate sessions:
Pros:
Students would receive the proper
education necessary for preventing
teenage pregnancy and/or STDs.
It will still promote abstinence.

If needed (due to religion or beliefs), a student may not take the

class if they choose.
Cons:
Some argued the discussion of sexual intercourse could lead to encouraging the students to do so.
It has been proven unnecessary due
to the surplus of teens that already
have active knowledge of contraceptives.
The state of Kentucky has no responsibilities to educate adolescents
on safe sex. Though controversial,
this highly spoken of bill has managed to crawl its way to the Governors doors. Its debatable topics remain unstoppable by the number of
placards risen into the air of change,
of opportunity. The KYA student delegates, bill authors and candidates
have different opinions but all under
the same love for our home, Kentucky.

A Legislative Look
By: Kaleigh Kinner

During this years Kentucky Youth

Assembly, a bill author team from
Belfry High School has made their
mark with a very debatable bill. This
bill is, An Act to Require that all Voter Registration Cards have an Other
Option Under Gender Clarification.
They hope to help Kentucky work towards making non-cisgendered citizens feel more accepted in our state.
In an interview with of the four
members of this bill author team, we
have found some amazing input from
the team.
Q: What is KYA to you?

Sara Browning stated The option of

politics has always been on the back
burner and now I want to go to law
school. I think this is a great way
for kids who have this option to get
what they want out there and get
their voices heard.
Q: How has KYA and the Kentucky
Y been transformational in your
life?
Matt Mill said Before I came to KYA
I didnt really care about politics and
now Im really considering being a
politician.

Q: How do you prepare for your

position?
Reid Varney said Our school really
prides itself on experience. We go
through a lot of different things: we
spend weeks finding our topic for the
bill and then we debate it.
Q: What has been your favorite
part of KYA?
Ethen Holzapfel told me, Its been
thrilling. It is great that I can voice
my opinion in a way that is very formal and respectable. Its just so fun
and great to get to do what you want
to do.

Eye of the Beholder

By: Amy Wathen

Kentucky Youth Assembly, a place

where Kentucky youths come together to learn and experience the politics
of the state. The legislative, judicial,
and congressional programs as well
as many more, preparing students to
reach out and take their place in politics at the state level. This experience is life altering; however, the experience also differs when it comes
from new members to old members.
How, then, does it differ? As someone who does not have Y club in my
town or who had not had a club go
to KYA until their Junior Year in high
school I can assert that the perspectives between an experienced member and inexperienced member contrast in a multitude of ways.
When I went looking around for new
members of KYA they were not difficult to spot. They were typically the
ones who appeared nervous or more
shy because they were not used to
the environment. A common theme
was that many were lost for words
when I asked what KYA meant to
them, how it compares to be more or
less experienced, and how KYA has
affected them. This was to be expected though because for most of
them this conference was their first
and while many confessed to being
nervous they all said that the experience had been educational and fun.
One first-time bill sponsor Nada
Kassieh had a lot to say about the
topic. However, when asked what
KYA meant to her she jokingly said
Kentucky Youth Assembly but proceeded to take a more serious tone
by saying that it was about going out
of her comfort zone to do something
great while expressing her opinions
about important issues in Kentucky.
When asked of the difference between first time participants and
experienced members she said that

the more experienced delegates were

more confident speakers and were
more eloquent with their words, skills
she admires.
To sum it all up she said, KYA made
me realize my weaknesses and motivate me to be better and aspire to be
more. KYA was, all in all, a slap in the
face, and amazing slap.
Many of the first-timers shared the
same opinion: it was interesting, fun,
and at times chaotic.Experienced
members typically had a different
perspective: to many of them the
conference was familiar yet exciting,
not so frightening in comparison to
the perspective of the newcomers.
Mackenzie Donoho, a bill sponsor
and KYA participant of four years,
shed some light on the different perspectives concerning the KYA conference.
When asked what KYA meant to her,
she responded that KYA was an opportunity to be involved in modern
day issues while speaking out and
learning more about what youths in
Kentucky are interested in and concerned with their different perspectives of different topics and issues.
Also, when asked about the difference
between how herself and first years
might feel she said that having experience with the conferences has allowed her to be more confident when
giving her speeches and allowed her
to have more respect for how hard
the delegates work especially when it
comes to them presenting controversial issues. In the end, when asked
how KYA has affected her and what
she will take away from it she said
that she will take away the different
people that she has meet from all
around the state: their different life
experiencesand the different issues

Photo Courtesy of Media Corp

in counties that arent as prominent

issues in her county.
Her last point was that KYA has
made her realize that she has a voice
and can make a difference with it if
she chooses to, she goes on to state,
KYA has shown me that teens across
the country have a genuine awareness of the issues Kentucky faces,
and [they] will work to enact lasting
change.
In conclusion, from first year members to delegates who have come to
convention for seven years, one thing
seems to remain the same: KYA is an
amazing opportunity to speak up and
meet a diverse group of people. Also,
while it is the same conference there
are multiple perspectives all from
a variety of different people whom
have come together to tackle the issues that they see in their communities as well as their beloved state of
Kentucky. Finally, As bills have been
passed or defeated and convention
starts coming to a close, the people
of KYA will remember the great memories that they have made and look
forward to the ones that will be made
next year with the amazing group of
friends they have made.

Experiencing the Embarrassment

By: Allison Wright

We all know that Y-conferences

encourage some serious bravery.
Whether its singing a song or debating a speech, we constantly have
to muster up all of the confidence we
possess. Sadly enough, when people
get up and do stuff, they sometimes
get up and just do it all wrong. I
know, I know, its a sad world we live
in. Im here to make it a little bit better, though, by using -you guessed
it- good ole comical relief. Sit back
and enjoy these embarrassing stories
that came straight from kiddos here
at our conference.

Bald and Blushing

It was my first KYA, I was in 6th
grade. I sang karaoke at the dance
And I was bald. He had just shaved
his head for the St. Baldricks Foundation, so I proceeded to tell him
that baldness wasnt bad, especially when it was for such a good
cause. No wait, theres more,
he said, After shaving my head, I
found out that I had eczema On
my head. It was such a bad time.
But my eczema is gone now, so all
is well.
Ah, dont we all have those unfortunately ugly memories? I think its
about time we come to the agreement that grades 5-8 simply never
happened. Whos with me?

sitting in my seat, so I just sat next

to him. I went to pick up my camera,
and he urgently said, Thats my
camera! I didnt think anything of
it; mine was
sitting right beside his. We went
our separate ways, and it wasnt
until the final general assembly
that my advisor was looking at the
camera case and realized that I.
Had. The. Wrong. Camera. I apologized about a million times, then
we went to track down the boy with
our camera.
This story may or may not have made
me cringe, but in the cutest way possible. There isnt anything worse than
messing up in front of baes parentswe feel for ya, girl.

Crying in my Combat Boots

At KYA my freshman year, I wore
combat boots to the dance, and I
sat indian-style on the floor for
about an hour-and-a-half. I had to
walk upstairs directly after I got
up, but there was a problem. I had
lost all feeling below my knees. Instead of walking up the stairs, I fell
down them.
I bet you looked adorable in those
boots, though. Can you say worth
it? Anyways, there is a lesson to this
story, and it is that combat boots
and popular seating positions do not
mix.

Media Corps Mixup

This actually just happened today. I put my camera underneath
my seat, then I went to walk around
for a few minutes before our next
media corps meeting. The camera she was using belonged to her
crushs dad- who was also her advisor. When I came back, a boy was

Reagan is Right
This story embarrasses no one, but it
will surely entertain you. This is KYA.
People debate. People have opinions.
Occasionally, delegates show up with
stronger opinions than most. I got
to talking to a boy who became very

popular at KUNA 2015 for his rather

fiery speeches.
When I brought these up, he proceeded to say, My KUNA speech really
brought out the hardcore libertarian in me. I think it got everyone else
pretty excited too, cause nobody
likes socialism, and if you dont
likeRonald Reagan, then youre the
party of incorrect.
This inspired me to make my own
saying: If you dont like KYA, then
youre the party of incorrect. Oh wait,
theres another one: If you dont like
ice cream, then youre the party of
incorrect Or youre just lactose intolerant. Thiscould go on for days- Ill
stop there. Hey, on a different note,
lets be thankful for our freedom to
have an opinion, and lets also always
remember that although opinions can
differ, they should never become disrespectful.1

Talkin and Trippin

I asked lots and lots of people about
their most embarrassing moments in
their Y-conference history, and the
most popular ones by far are:
1. Tripping on the way up to speak
2. Messing up the dreaded parliamentary procedure
My my my, havent we all been there.
May the knowledge that youre not
the only forgetful one, not the only
clumsy one, and not the only nervous
one give you all the courage you need
to go forth and give an outstanding
speech. I believe in you!
1 I apologize if you have a grudge against
Ronald Reagan or ice cream.

Meet the Y-Staff

By: Clay Barnett, Claire Nickell, and Gabby Smedley

The past few days have been filled
with chaos -- orderly, controlled
chaos. As delegates we often get
swept away by our own responsibilities. There is a certain aura of
progression at KYA, whether it may
be moving from house to senate,
winning a case, or meeting with the
governor, these things feel real. On
paper, KYA is a mock legislative assembly, but after these three days
it has come to our attention that it
is much more. We interviewed a few
of your favorite Y-Staff members
to ask them some questions on why
they love the Y.
Amanda Pile (AP) is the Program Director here at KYA. She is responsible
for the arrangement with the hotel,
the agenda, management of staff,
and the director of complaints.
With a warm smile and a calm voice
she is often heard at the beginning
of the conference during the general
assembly, introducing us to the conference and keeping us engaged and
excited from the very beginning.
Beth Malcolm (BM) is the Chief Operating Officer for the Y. She sees over
all of the staff and makes sure that
they are doing what they need to be
doing, and also what they love. You
can see her smiling face all over Y
conferences.
Amanda Bates (AB) is the Central Region Director here at the Y. Her main
job at KYA has been working with and
leading the media corps. She is a fundamental part of this conference and
the reason you are able to read this
article.
What do you love about your job
at the Y?
AP: I get to see kids walk in feeling
shy or lonely and I get to watch them
walk out of here with a new set of
friends and new sense of confidence
that they did not have when they

walked in, and for me, thats why I do

what I do and why I continue to do
what I do.
BM: Teens here have an important
voice. This is a space for teens to
not only utilize their voice but understand that their voice is heard.
Adults tend to walk away and forget
what teens have said to them; after
this conference adults have seen that
teens are able to express themselves
and have real meaningful ideas.
AB: The kids here have an unbridled passion for our core values and
our at the heart of what we embody.
They are like little shining lights, but
not in an abrasive way but it is a true
light that people want to follow and
emulate, and thats what being a Y
kid means.
Why do you believe Democracy is
the best form of government for
the US?
AP: Democracy allows people to
have a voice, it also makes people
come together, which is super important. It allows people to say, yes
I want to see policy move this way.
Democracy moves us in ways that we
can collaborate, to keep peace and
to let people change the way government is managed.

BM: For us its extremely important

to be founded on the freedom of being able to share our ideas. Democracy seems to be the best way to insure
that every person has at least an avenue to be heard or represented in
our government.
AB: Democracy is super important, and teaching you guys what it
means is fundamental. It is also a
fundamental part of who we are as
Americans and how we are raised to
see the world. I think without that it
would be extremely difficult for us to
have a common language. Democracy is one of the main reasons we do
things like KYA and KUNA.

Democracy is the cake that never gets cooked just right, but with
the all the ingredients correctly
placed, it can be pretty darn edible.
Ben Reno Weber describes Democracy as loud, noisy, and messy,
but it is the best thing weve got.
This describes what we are doing
to a tee, and explains exactly why
the Y staff loves what they do here
at KYA. Without the Y Staff we are
unable to have this conference and
the knowledge of what Democracy
really means to us. So thank your
Y Staff every chance you get, because they do so much for you.