Hopewell Borough Hall briefly belonged to a much younger governing body on Friday morning, when the Hopewell Elementary School first grade arrived for a hands-on lesson in how local government works — complete with a mock ordinance, a public hearing, and an important town-wide decision:
Should Freddy the Frog become the official animal of Hopewell Borough?
The trip, now in its second year, was organized by Councilwoman Krista Weaver, who welcomed the students with Mayor Ryan Kennedy, and Councilwomen Sheri Hook and Debra Stuhler. The group guided the children through each step of passing an ordinance, from making a motion to holding a vote. One by one, the six- and seven-year-olds took turns sitting at the dais, speaking into microphones, and learning how to run the Borough’s business for the morning.
Weaver said she first created the program last school year after watching how much her own children enjoyed sitting in the Borough Council seats when she visited for work.
“They would always want to go down in the courtroom and sit on the dais and bang the gavel,” Weaver said, explaining why the first grade was the perfect fit for the experience. “They enjoyed it so much that I figured, okay, this is a good age range for this. I contacted their teacher and asked if it was something that fit into the curriculum — and she said yes.”
Friday’s visit began with a civics crash course: What an ordinance is, how elected officials debate an idea, and why public input matters. With guidance from the officials, the students practiced making a motion, offering a second, listening for “aye” and “nay,” and concluding with a formal vote.
Their mock legislation proposed designating a frog as the official animal of Hopewell Borough, inspired by Hopewell Elementary’s beloved Freddy the Frog mascot. Once the ordinance (or law) was introduced, others waited to approve or deny a motion, while the rest of the class acted as the public to provide comment on the proposal. Everyone was excited to sit on the dais and use the microphones.
Outside Borough Hall, the first graders rotated through two more stations:
- Hopewell Borough Public Works, where crews showed off equipment, including the large leaf-collection vacuum machine,
- Hopewell Township Police, where officers introduced the students to what they did and how police help keep the community safe.
The morning mixed learning with plenty of fun — including raised hands, big smiles, and even a few enthusiastic gavel taps.
Weaver said the Borough hopes to continue offering the program every year.
“I just think it’s really important that everybody, especially young people, learn how satisfying and gratifying it can be to be civically engaged,” she said.
As the students filed out at the end of their visit and walked back to school – the point was clear: For at least a few minutes, they weren’t just first graders. They were Hopewell Borough officials making decisions for their community.
