St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman took his city expertise to Melrose Elementary where he spoke with two third grade classes and a group of fourth graders. Kriseman shared his experiences as Mayor as part of the Great American Teach In Wednesday.
Kriseman’s choice to volunteer at Melrose Elementary was a strategic one. The school is one of five chronically failing schools in the District and is a hot bed for at-risk youth.
But you would never know that from the conversations he had with students.
Students knew who the president was and even mentioned presidential candidate Ben Carson. They also spoke about key issues facing St. Pete ranging from housing and homelessness to job creation.
When Kriseman described the difference between a strong mayor form of government by which St. Pete operates and a city manager form of government used in other smaller cities, the students seemed to understand what he was talking about.
Kriseman kicked his talk off in a Fourth grade classroom by telling students he would have never guessed he’d be a mayor someday and encouraging students to strive to be anything, because anything is possible.
The St. Pete Mayor asked students what they thought a Mayor did. The answers ranged anywhere from the spot-on “makes changes to the city” response to ones referring to his service as being similar to the President. One student even insinuated Mayors misuse their authority by proclaiming a mayor “gets things quickly.”
The meeting was often comical as students asked questions about using robots to solve homelessness and various other problems. One student asked if Kriseman was rich while another asked how he got his watch.
“How many people think I live in a Mayor’s Mansion?” Kriseman asked.
Several hands shot up in the class of about 15 students with one shouting, “not in the White House” after Kriseman explained he lives in the same house he’s always lived in.
But no matter how off topic a conversation with a group of nine and ten year olds got, Kriseman stuck to a single, resonating point – do well in school.
“To be Mayor, you have to do good in school,” he said.
He encouraged students to read as often as possible noting that school gets easier and easier the more time they spend reading. And he encouraged students to reach out to other students to help each other out when they’re having a tough time.
Professionals, workers in trade industries, public safety officers and even people with neat hobbies come together in cities across the country every year for the Great American Teach In with the goal of exposing students to career opportunities they may not have otherwise known about.
Students get to ask questions, watch demonstrations and, in some cases, even pet animals.
Kriseman also left students at Melrose Elementary with a bit of a political message – vote. Though he asked if anyone wants to run for mayor that they wait six years until after he’s done.
He finished the talk by signing autographs for the students who asked quite jubilantly that he do so. That, Kriseman said, was a first.
Other city officials also participated in the Great American Teach In. Council members Steve Kornell, Wengay Newton and Jim Kennedy also attended schools including Sawgrass Lake Elementary, Gibbs High School, and New Heights Elementary School.
Council members Newton and Karl Nurse attended a roundtable luncheon with Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Michael Grego.
