Blog #2
April 17, 2023
I have had such a busy month working to bring my plans into action! I have kicked off my “Spring Into Action Food Drive” in NH schools. This fun food drive is a competition between classrooms! The classrooms that donate the most non-perishable food items win a prize that is decided by the principal of each school and can be anything from an extra recess, to a movie at the end of the school week!
Last week, I spoke with the Plaistow Lions Club to propose that we collaborate to make a video about the Power Pack program. Power packs are weekly backpacks that are sent home to children in need, they include a variety of foods, for example chips, granola bars, and other non-perishable items. We will share the video with other Lions Clubs in NH to bring this program to other communities.
I am also excited to share an exciting opportunity for everyone to participate in! My Executive Council and I are walking to raise money for Families in Transition in their Walk Against Hunger. Your participation in the Walk Against Hunger will help prevent and break the cycle of homelessness through support for families and individuals experiencing hunger or food insecurity.The walk will take place in Manchester, NH on May 21, 2023 at noon.
Here is the link to our team page if you would like to join our team or donate: https://support.fitnh.org/team/496582
Finally, I would like to congratulate my Executive Council member Emily Parent on successfully bringing recycling bins into her school. This was a big goal of hers and she completed it very quickly!!! CONGRATULATIONS EMILY!!!
I hope all the students and teachers have an amazing April Vacation!
Blog #1
March 13, 2023
Hi, my name is Haydin Simmons, and I am New Hampshire’s 2023 Kid Governor. I am a 5th grader from Plaistow, NH. Let me tell you a few things about myself. I am a competitive dancer in tap, jazz and jazz funk, and I also take ballet, lyrical, and hip hop. In school I play percussion in the band, and I also sing in the chorus. I have enjoyed taking acting classes for the past six years and I am looking forward to Drama Club when I get to middle school. I also like to sketch during my free time.
My platform is poverty and hunger, my three-point plan is to:
- Educate people about poverty and hunger so they can help end poverty and hunger.
- Facilitate events to help as many people as possible.
- Encourage people to donate and if they are suffering from poverty and hunger to ask for help.
I have had an exciting first month in office! Let me tell you about what I have done so far.
On Monday, February 6, 2023, I went to my Inauguration. Before walking into the State House I was extremely excited! But when I reached the house chamber, a feeling of nervous tension filled my body. I was extremely nervous when schools, children, families, adults, the Governor, and senators showed up. In fact I was so worried I thought I wouldn’t deliver my speech properly. I realized that everyone was there to support me and luckily I delivered my speech perfectly fine and it was thrilling to have everyone listen to what I had to say. I was extremely impressed by 2022 NH Kid Governor Charlotte Cotti, Governor Sununu, and all the other speeches that were given. It was a thrilling experience! I really enjoyed swearing in my executive council and sharing in their success. This ceremony is one I DEFINITELY won’t forget!
On Friday, February 10, 2023, I attended the NH Hunger Solutions Summit and had the privilege of assisting Dellie Champagne to hand out the service awards to people in NH making a difference in the fight against hunger in our state. I met so many amazing people including NH Senator Jeanne Shaheen and so many others! It made me so happy to see so many people gathered together to help end hunger in our state. I have faith that if we try hard, work as a team, and educate others we can make a positive change in our state, and maybe even in other states too!
This past Saturday, March 11, 2023, my Executive Council and I attended the national Kid Governor Leadership Summit. The first session was for all of the Kid Governors to get together to talk about our platforms and to ask questions. This was a good opportunity to learn how others have executed their projects or talk about any challenges. After the Kid Governors session the Executive Councilors and Cabinet members joined. We broke out in small groups and had a little fun in our groups with an ice breaker activity. We talked about working as teams and how our platforms are similar or different. We came back together and had three very special speakers giving us lots of tips for working as a team and being leaders. We went back to our groups and talked about everything we had learned. It was a great event and I got to meet a lot of kids doing great things for their states.
These are all very special memories I will never forget!