Michael Puzo presided at Hingham's Third Grade Mock Town Meeting

On June 9th and 10th, Hemenway & Barnes Partner and Hingham Town Moderator, Michael Puzo presided at the town’s third annual Third Grade Mock Town Meeting. The session was the capstone of a civics curriculum project designed to introduce young Hingham residents to the town’s Open Town Meeting form of government, where each citizen who takes part does so with voice and vote. The students created the articles to be considered at the meeting, prepared both a pro and con case for each, and then voted on each recommended motion in open session. More than 275 Third Graders from the town’s four elementary schools took part in the meeting, joined by their teachers, chaperones, and a gallery of family members, public officials, and town citizens.

The meeting took place at the Old Ship Meeting House. Built in 1681, Old Ship served as the heart of Hingham’s early civic and religious life, first hosting Town Meeting in 1682—more than four decades after the town’s founding in 1635. Today, it remains the oldest meeting house in continuous use as a house of worship in the United States.

The students had a spirited debate on a host of issues, including:

1. Funding playground improvements at Hingham’s elementary schools.
2. Installing lights at a number of the town’s fields to expand usage.
3. Improving the town’s beach and swimming facilities at Hingham Harbor.
4. Forming a study committee to consider increasing the amount of recess time for students in Grades 3-5.

The sessions were conducted with the same formality as Hingham’s “grown up” Town Meeting.

At the conclusion of day 2, the meeting was dissolved, with the students being asked to mark their calendars for the 2035 Hingham Annual Town Meeting. 2035 will mark Hingham's 400th anniversary and today's 3rd graders will be registered voters and empowered to chart the next 400 years of Hingham's history.