Students at Summit High School are developing their own plans for managing growth in Williamson County.
It’s part of an assignment that requires students in Jeff Graves’ government class to research and discuss the impact growth has upon infrastructure, schools and taxes.
“An assignment like this allows students to learn how the growth of our cities and county affect them in their daily lives,” said Graves. “It allows them to focus on something that is a concern of theirs and then see what it takes both cost wise and from a government perspective to affect change.”
To help them better understand the issues created by growth, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson visited the class November 6.
“Having Mayor Anderson spend time in the classroom, candidly speaking and answering questions about the things that students care about such as traffic and jobs gets them to not only care about their community but shows them the importance of staying informed,” said Graves.
In their final project, the students must work in groups to develop a plan for managing growth. They must also include visuals of the area the plan will affect along with an estimated budget based on similar projects. The students will then present their plan to the class and discuss both the pros and the cons.
According to Graves, assignments like this help students understand the importance of government at the local level.
“As the county continues to grow, having students attend government meetings and hear from those who are locally representing their families will continue to be important in helping these students understand their government, why they need to be involved and how they can make a difference.”
Please join our FREE Newsletter
