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Aurora mayor welcomes 100 third-graders for lessons on local government

All third-graders in Illinois have to learn about the structure and function of government.

For a group of 100 third-graders from Indian Prairie Unit District 204, those lessons were brought to life during a recent visit to Aurora City Hall.

The group of young scholars braved the cold weather for the visit and were quickly warmed up with an energetic welcome to the city council chambers complete with music, dancing, and sing-along.

Then, the star of the show entered the room to the thrill of the students.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin welcomes a group of 100 third-graders to Aurora City Hall for real-life lessons on their state-mandated unit on local government. The students were welcomed with an energetic opening session with music and dancing. Courtesy of City of Aurora

Before addressing the special guests, Mayor Richard C. Irvin worked the room to sign autographs, give high-fives, and take photos with some of the city’s youngest citizens.

Mayor Irvin spoke to the students about his role as the leader of the local government and took several questions from students, ranging from what his typical day looks like to why he wears a suit to work.

Students were then broken into four groups for four rotating sessions, including a tour of city hall with stops at different departments, a visit to the aldermen’s office, an educational seminar at the G.A.R. Military Museum, and a special conversation with heroes from the Aurora Police Department and the Aurora Fire Department.

An Aurora first responder gives the third-graders a timed run-through of how long it takes a firefighter to get dressed when an emergency call comes in. Courtesy of City of Aurora

The latter session included an in-depth look at the average day of Aurora’s first responders, including a timed run-through of how long it takes a firefighter to get dressed when an emergency call comes in.

Each student earned a certificate of completion for their morning tour of Aurora City Hall.

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