Mercy students meet with lawmakers

Claire Mulhall, a junior at Mercy Academy, passed information to Rep. Joni Jenkins of Shively at her office in Frankfort, Ky., on Feb. 8 as Mercy junior Lexi Newton looked on. Mercy students spent the day at the capitol, attending committee meetings and speaking with legislators. The students spoke with Rep. Jenkins about abolishing the death penalty and capping interest rates on payday lending. (Photo Special to The Record)
Claire Mulhall, a junior at Mercy Academy, passed information to Rep. Joni Jenkins of Shively at her office in Frankfort, Ky., on Feb. 8 as Mercy junior Lexi Newton looked on. Mercy students spent the day at the capitol, attending committee meetings and speaking with legislators. The students spoke with Rep. Jenkins about abolishing the death penalty and capping interest rates on payday lending. (Photo Special to The Record)

By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer

Students at Mercy Academy spent a day last week in Frankfort visiting legislators and advocating on issues supported by the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, the public policy arm of the state’s four bishops.

The entire junior class — 114 students — studied issues and current legislation before the Kentucky General Assembly and prepared talking points for the Feb. 8 visit.

“The goal was for each student to speak with their representative and senator and to attend a committee meeting or rally,” said Rick Blackwell, the service learning and leadership coordinator at the all-girls’ school, noting some students attended the Rally for Life in the capitol rotunda.

Students said the experience was “eye-opening” and provided insight into the inner workings of the government.

“Our representatives and senators work for us. Even at a young age, we have a voice. If you value something, you need to speak up and say something. We can’t vote yet, but we will be able to soon,” Olivia Greenwell said.

Mercy’s legislative advocacy initiative is part of its Service-Learning and Leadership Program.

The program is a combination of direct action and social action, said Blackwell. Each grade level spends an academic year with a different focus. Freshmen learn about indirect service and study the root causes of societal injustices, Blackwell said.

Sophomore year, the students take a more hands-on approach with direct service opportunities. Students turn to advocacy efforts during their junior year. And, senior year, the students work on a project of their own design based on their research from the three previous years.

About a month before their visit to Frankfort, the students attended a Catholics @ the Capitol event held at Mercy. Jason Hall, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, spoke to the students about issues important to the Catholic Church that were expected to be considered during the 2017 Kentucky General Assembly.

The school also hosted a breakfast for state representatives and senators. About 14 legislators attended the Jan. 23 event.

Following the meetings with the CCK and legislators at the school, the students chose bills or issues important to them and spent the next few weeks researching the issues.

Alainna Grant said her visit to the Kentucky State Capitol was “eye-opening.”

“I had no idea how accessible legislators are. I didn’t realize that at all. You are able to go in and talk about the issues you are passionate about,” Grant said.

Greenwell said she was pleased to learn how open the legislators are.

“They wanted to hear our opinions. If they disagreed, they gave you their perspective and were open to listen,” Greenwell said.

The students advocated on a wide variety of issues, including legislation involving payday lending, abolition of the death penalty, scholarship tax credits, domestic violence and health care.

Claire Mulhall met with Rep. Joni Jenkins of Shively to talk about possible upcoming legislation on capping the interest rates of payday lending.

“I grew up in Southwest Louisville and that is a very prominent thing in my community. A lot of people are in poverty,” Mulhall said. “My representative agreed with me on that.”

Greenwell said she was thankful she was able to speak with legislators and take part in what she said she sees as her civic duty.

“I’m thankful we have the opportunity to do this and get outside our sheltered bubble and get to talk about these issues,” she said.

Greenwell said students, and society in general, tend to shy away from political talk.

“I’m grateful we can do this at an all-girls school. We lack women in politics and this process has given me the opportunity to possibly think about a political future,” she said.

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