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Miss Hall's School gets a visit by Senator

2008-03-13 09:54:00

Sen. Downing Visits MHS

MHS Freshwomen recently received some insight into ethics, politics, and leadership, as they spent more than an hour connecting with one of the Commonwealth's youngest legislators.

State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, spoke to students in the Horizons Freshwoman Ethics Class, covering topics such as his role in the Senate and his role as chairman of its Committee on Ethics and Rules. He also fielded more than a dozen wide-ranging questions from the girls. "Like you, I'm the new person on the block," said the Pittsfield native, who was age 25 when elected in 2006 to represent 48 communities in western Massachusetts. "In the Senate, there are freshmen, there are senior people, and I'm the youngest of the freshmen of the entire place."

Building trust among the Senate's other members, he said, is key to being an effective legislator. That is one reason he took the time to meet each Senate member when he was first elected. Additionally, he said, ethical lapses erode the ability to work with other legislators and the public's faith in government. "One of the most important things we're entrusted with is preserving, or enhancing, people's trust in government," he said. "When people lose that trust, they become cynical, and self-centered, and won't look to the greater good."

Questions from the girls touched on why Sen. Downing entered politics, whether he supports term limits, and if his youth poses a political hurdle for him. They also asked about gasoline prices, wind power, and his decision-making process, which he said is not a simple formula. "You find yourself pushed and pulled," he said. "The worst way is to say, ﾑThis is what the polling numbers say the people want.' I try to reach out for as many opinions on an issue as I can, because the more we learn about an issue, the easier it is to resolve our position."

Art Teacher and Horizons Advisor Ellen Joffe-Halpern invited Sen. Downing to speak to the class, which is part of a curriculum that encourages girls to develop their own values. It is designed to give the students grounding in ethical thinking so they can begin to define and test their own ethical standards while a member of the MHS community, while volunteering through Horizons during the next three years, and in the future.

According to Ms. Joffe-Halpern, Sen. Downing struck a chord with the girls, who were required to write about what they thought was the morning's most important point. The responses, she said, included several citing his comments about perseverance, youth, trust, and leadership. "What they thought was important was that he listened to others and had the confidence to do what he said," Ms. Joffe-Halpern said. "What they took away from the session was an inspiring message of how a young person can make a difference."

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Posted by lina