HURLEY — First grade students at the Hurley K-12 School learned about local government during a field trip to city of Hurley offices Thursday.
Students in Kelli Pitrone, Kathy Czarnecki and Mary Ann Kmetz’s classes traveled to the offices to learn how local government works up close.
Students viewed the clerk’s office, public library, police department, fire department and Mayor Joe Pinardi’s office.
“I got a call asking if they could take an hour and come down to learn about government,” Pinardi said. “It’s been really good, and they have showed a lot of interest.”
During each stop, students were able to ask questions. According to Kmetz, the trip fit in well with the social studies curriculum, focusing on “people in our community.”
While in the offices, students learned about the voting process and voted for their favorite cartoon character, Spongebob Squarepants, Scooby Doo or Mickey Mouse.
Pinardi said he would like to see more students interested in how government works at the local level.
“It’s good to see them showing interest in this,” Pinardi said. “I would like to see this expand to more kids.”