Courtesy Photo of Sen. Howie Morales and students from Guadalupe Montessori School in Silver City

On February 28, 2013, local students from the Guadalupe Montessori School in Silver City served as expert witnesses on the Senate floor for Senate Memorial 11 sponsored my Senator Howie C. Morales.

Senate Memorial 11 is a memorial requesting that the Department of Transportation and the Department of Game and Fish hold a workshop to identify future projects and funding to help reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions; requesting that the Governor declare a Wildlife Safety Awareness Day.

The four elementary school students sat on the Senate Floor behind the Senator Morales and answered the questions that other Senators had about the memorial. (Photo 1) Daniel Gruska, Riley Myers, Sarah Adams, and Angelina Sanderson were the four students testifying.

The Memorial passed unanimously (43-0) with one vote from the Lieutenant Governor. The rest of the Montessori group including their teacher, Bob Anderson, came down to celebrate after the session was over. (Photo 2)

The entire week, multiple Wild Friends, an organization within the UNM School of Law, came from around the state to support this Memorial. Over one hundred kids talked to both the House and Senate about wildlife- vehicle collisions. Our local students were able to be there on the final passage to see the Memorial to the Governer's desk.

Thank you for bringing awareness of local students who are doing great things,