Jenai Sheffels, a teacher at Inglewood Middle School in Sammamish, recently participated in the Legislative Scholar Program in Olympia.

This program, which ran July 15-19, provides civic educators with additional tools to teach students about representative democracy and an opportunity for the Legislature to recognize and honor teachers’ service to Washington state.

Sheffels was one of two teachers from the LWSD. Mary Kay Weinmeister, a teacher at Rockwell Elementary in Redmond, was the other.

Presentations were given on the following topics: How a Bill Becomes a Law; Washington CBAs; What Students Ought to be Learning About Representative Democracy; Lobbyist Panel; Elections and Initiatives; Washington Constitution and Comparison with the Federal Constitution; Introduction to Street Law and iCivics; How to Determine Legislative Intent.

Both teachers are invited back to Olympia to spend a day with the Legislature during the 2014 session.