Students in History Teacher Pat Boyd’s US Elections and Campaigns course got a front-row seat to government in action at a September 16 press conference at Day Kimball Hospital in nearby Putnam.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Day Kimball Health CEO Kyle Kramer announced $50 million in Rural Health Transformation Program grants for Connecticut’s rural hospitals and discussed the investment in rural health care. The funding is part of the federal $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year initiative to strengthen health care in rural communities across the country.

For the students, the experience extended beyond listening to the politicians' and administrators' speeches. Afterward, they had the opportunity to speak directly with Lamont and Kramer and learn more about the impact of the funding. It also gave them a firsthand look at how government decisions can affect people and communities — including health care — right in their own backyard.

“Aside from Mr. Boyd, I’ve never met a politician before,” said Mady Davies ’27. “It was more fun than it was formal.”

For Mady, the press conference helped reinforce why she chose the history elective: to become a more informed voter. “Learning to see both sides of important issues is interesting and might change my perspective,” said Mady. “When I am of legal age to vote, I want to know what I am voting for and how it will affect me and my community.”

The live event also gave students a chance to see the concepts they study in class unfold in real time — and to consider how those stories are presented to the public. “It was interesting to watch the news coverage of the press conference and see which clips they choose to show versus all the speakers we heard from,” said Mady.

Boyd, who also serves as the state representative for Pomfret and the surrounding area, regularly gives students opportunities to meet local, state, and federal government leaders when they are near the Hilltop. He also brings students to the State Capitol to witness government in action on the House floor.

“It’s important to me that students don’t view government as a spectator,” said Boyd. “It’s designed to be participatory, and taking part in real time takes the curriculum from being abstract to being real.”
 

Photo credit: Collin Hamilton Photography

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