NHKG Lola's Farewell Address

"I have to be honest — I was never interested in politics before, and I am still not sure if I want to be a politician when I grow up. But when my teacher, Mrs. Foreman, told my class that we would be participating in the Kid Governor program, I got really excited. Something inside of me knew that this would be my thing."
 

November Blog

Hey guys, it’s Lola, and if you have been keeping up with the blog you would know that there's a new Kid Governor! I’m proud to introduce Suzy as New Hampshire's next Kid Governor!

Once the votes had been tallied and the winner was picked, we planned a secret surprise announcement at her school, which was awesome! Suzy’s school is different than mine. It is made up of many buildings that look almost like houses and has a field the size of 5 football fields, (maybe a little over exaggeration), but anyway, it’s a big campus!

When I got there I had to hide so the kids wouldn’t see me and maybe ruin the surprise. So, we went in a room at the school to plan what to say during the announcement and how the assembly would go. After a few minutes Suzy’s mom had come, and her mom knew that if Suzy saw her she would know she had won, so she came and hid with us. It was very exciting! When we had the call to go, we went into the copy room behind the auditorium. The 8th graders there were putting on a Spanish play at the time, and because I was hidden, I was able to watch that and then… Showtime!

Mrs. Genest came out and said a few things about why she was there. Then I came out and announced that Suzy had won. The crowd went absolutely wild!! Suzy came up and I gave her some gifts and Mrs. Genest asked if Suzy would like to say anything. Suzy was very shy but thanked everyone for their support.

NHKG Lola and NHKG-Elect Suzy

Afterwards, Suzy and I went into the “hiding room” and I talked to her about what she could do as Kid Governor. I gave Suzy as much advice as I could think of to get her excited to get going on her platform, which is about making recess longer to help kids get more time outdoors. I am rooting for her to do well, and I agree that recess should be longer, too!

Next month will be my last blog during my term as Governor, but my fight for animals will continue. I hope everyone has a great holiday with their families. I’ll be back in January to officially pass the torch to Suzy as she moves on to take her place as the 2020 New Hampshire's Kid Governor!

October Blog

Hey guys, it’s Lola here! I did some cool things this month.

First I went to the G.I.R.L. Expo. It was so fun! I went inside a whale, can you believe it? A WHALE!!!! It was awesome. I learned all about the second biggest whale in the world! And no, it’s not what you’re thinking. Not a real whale! It was a blow-up whale. The whale had almost everything a real whale should have, like a spine, a heart, and other bones and stuff. Just not like acid or anything from its stomach. That’s gross. There were other booths with things you could do, like pottery, look at a pigs’ hearts with no cells in them, check out 3D printed body parts, play the drums, see tap dancing, see ballerinas, and so much more!

NHKG Lola and friends at the G.I.R.L. Expo

Then I went to see all of the candidate videos for next year’s NH's Kid Governor. They were all awesome!! I don’t get to vote but I did get to help check the videos to be sure they fit the requirements. There were very few errors. You guys did great! As much as I have enjoyed being kid governor, I am excited to see who wins! Stay tuned for the reveal!

Lastly, I went to City Hall in Nashua, where I held a meeting with a group of local representatives to talk about passing a bill where you can’t sell any cats, dogs, and rabbits unless they come from a nonprofit organization or shelter. They were so helpful and so nice! I’d like to thank them for coming. Alderwoman Klee had brought her two rescue greyhounds. They were so cute! (One of them even farted while we were in the meeting! It was funny.) Also I’d like to thank my friends and everyone else who came to my meeting. With everyone's support, we have a great shot at passing this bill.

NHKG Lola at her meeting at Nashua City Hall

That’s all for this month! See you next month with more action! Bye.

September Blog

Hello guys! Welcome to my September blog.

I started middle school, and I am having so much fun here. We do so many things. I’ve already had 3 tests, (not that that’s much fun), but we don’t have much homework… Yet. I don’t know if you guys have recess? I don’t anymore, (only on Fridays sometimes)! We do a lot of experiments too, and we have to memorize Latin root words. UGH! They are so boring!

I have a locker now… I love it! It's pretty big actually. I have to switch from class to class instead of just staying in one, (like at my old school). Now we call the classes “periods.” I have 7 periods every day. We also have something called “home room” and “advisory.” Advisory is where you can make up work you didn't do. Home room is just for attendance, (not much else).

That’s enough about school, let’s get to the Kid Governor stuff... It’s happening! I am going to try to do everything I can to help pass a bill that I feel so strongly about, as it was part of my 3 point plan in my campaign at the start of Kid Governor.

The bill states that, (if put into law), you will no longer be able to sell or purchase cats and dogs at a pet store in New Hampshire.

Representative Katherine Rogers (D-Concord) wrote the bill. It is called Humane Pet Store Legislation and Humane Pet Store Bill. It took Katherine 2 years to write it!

Remember, just because I'm Kid Governor does not mean the law will pass. How a bill becomes a law is a whole different story!

First, the Governor has to find a sponsor in the legislative body to submit what's called a legislative service request to have them draft the bill. Then they give a bill what's called a docket number. After that, a bunch of drafts will come in from the 400 elected members that are a part of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and the 24 members of the New Hampshire Senate. All drafts must be approved and signed by the sponsoring legislature, (the co-sponsors have to sign and approve it too). Every bill introduced to a committee must have a public hearing. That is where I come in. I am going to a public hearing as well! I will present my testimony about why I feel so strongly that this should pass.

Hopefully this bill will pass, but it is a slow process, and it will take until next year to get it done. I have to stay patient and really work hard to get people to come to the public hearing, and then, hopefully get some interested people to agree to testify on behalf of the bill by sharing their experiences with the judge.

We will be holding an informational meeting at City Hall in Nashua, NH to explain more about what people can do to help us pass this bill from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29. The meeting will be open to everyone. I hope you can make it!

See you next month!

-New Hampshire's Kid Governor Lola

August Blog

Hello! Kid Governor Lola here! 

I have done sooo much this month!

First, I was asked to sing the National Anthem at an event called Barnful of Blues.
This was the most different I have ever done before and I was scared, so asked a
couple of friends to give me a hand.

I would like to introduce my friends, Lacey Bechard and Madison Pisco!

Madison, NHKG Lola, and Lacey

With the help of my friends, my nerves went away and we had a great time on stage!
After we sang, we ran my Kid Governor table.

We shared a booth with a boy named, Dominic Cole, a 12 year old boy from New Hampshire
who performs his drumming on the streets of Boston to raise money for his organization,
Percussion For a Purpose. Dominic uses the money he gets from drumming to create kits
for homeless people and children. He is the best kid drummer I’ve ever heard, and I play
clarinet in the school band?!

NHKG Lola and drummer Dominic Cole

We couldn’t stay for the whole event because not only were my friends coming to help me

sing, but they, (and a few more), also came to help me celebrate my birthday with a
sleepover!! It was a super busy weekend but we all had a great time! 

Then we went to “Kid Governor Boot Camp” it’s not what your thinking! It was a workshop
for the teachers to learn about the Kid Governor in New Hampshire. There were a lot of
teachers there. They seemed very interested in learning about teaching the program.
Hopefully the kids will be excited about participating too! I think that they will like it, and I am
excited to see what the election will be like when more schools get involved. 

I was honored to meet, Brian Confrancesco, the person who started the Kid Governor Program
in Connecticut. I was surprised to find that he was just as excited to meet me as I was to meet
him! He is a very nice man. My mom and I enjoyed talking to him and listening to him
speak at the Boot Camp.

NHKG Lola and Head of Kid Governor Brian Cofrancesco

At the Boot Camp, I got the chance to see my teacher, Mrs. Foreman, from my 5th grade class.

Mrs. Foreman, my mom, and I all sat on a panel to be interviewed about our experience with the
Program. We were there for a couple of hours. When we were on our way out of Saint Anselm’s
College, the author, (Gloria M. Gavris), of the book, E is for Election Day, gave us signed copies
of her book! It was a cool surprise to meet her and get a signed copy. Finally, we wrapped up
my Library tour. We visited 3 NH libraries this summer, Hopkinton, Concord, and Hooksett.
Each of the librarians were so kind and they gave us space to teach the kids about how to make
dog toys and explained how to participate in the Kid Governor Program. We met some great
kids at each of our library stops, and with their help, we made quite a few toys to donate to our
local shelter.

I have started middle school and I am excited for the school year. 

Stay tuned! 

-New Hampshire's Kid Governor Lola

July Blog

Hi guys, it's Lola! I didn’t do much this month, but I did go to speak at a library in Hopkinton, NH.

When we got to the library we got a warm welcome from the librarian! She showed us around, we got set up and then we looked for a book to read to the kids. I picked the book Pig and Pug. Then we were ready to start. Around 6 or 7 kids came.

First I talked to them about Kid Governor. Next, I read them the book. Finally, we made dog toys. I had lots of fun.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. See you next month, bye!

May/June Blog

Hello. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far, I know I am! 

May was a quiet month and I didn’t really attend any events, but that is okay with me because June was an important and busy month. I am very proud to announce that I GRADUATED FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!! 

Graduation was awesome! First, all of our teachers made their announcements, then we got our certificates, and lastly, we had an ice cream social! I am off to middle school in the fall and although I will miss my old school, I am very excited for my new one!

Also, the Humane Society of Greater Nashua was kind enough to invite me and my family to attend their annual Gala. They have an annual Gala as both a fundraiser and as a celebration to reward the people who worked extra hard for the animals over the last year. 

This year the Gala was named Woofstock, and the theme was based on the 1960’s rock concert Woodstock. The Humane Society was having a costume contest, so my mom and I dressed like hippies. We didn’t win the contest, but I had tons of fun! There were games, auctions and food!

During the auction I got to go up on stage and present an award on behalf of the Humane Society to the Governor's Apprentice (the Governor couldn’t make it; it was his father's 80th birthday) for all the outstanding ways Governor Sununu has made animals a priority while he has been in office. I also got to speak to everyone about the money that we (at my elementary school) raised for the Humane Society from our Popcorn for Paws Fundraiser back in April. We were lucky to have a very generous audience member match our $330 in contributions, bringing our total donation to $660. YAY! 

Lola presents an award at the Humane Society Gala

So thankful for all of the generous, animal loving supporters and volunteers who have donated their money and time to all our pet friends! It was an honor to be included in the festivities.

I'm so excited to start my library tour in July! We hope to get kids excited about being the next Kid Governor of NH, and also hope to get more schools to participate in the program. If you would like for your school to participate please don’t hesitate to ask your educators to reach out for more information. See you guys soon. Bye for now!

April Blog

Hi guys! Sorry I am a little late on this one…

April was so great!!

Lola with her popcorn
fundraiser stand

If you remember, when I last wrote the Pet Toy Club had started, and it was so fun! We made a lot of toys and colored posters to promote our popcorn sale to raise money for the Humane Society. By the time Pet Toy Club was over, we had created a couple hundred toys, colored a bunch of posters, and our popcorn sale raised $322!! The Humane Society was so excited to receive our donations. I think it is safe to say we all had a great time. I really appreciated all the help from our Sunset Heights teachers and kids who volunteered.

Next, I went on tour to visit 4th graders at some of the elementary schools in my city of Nashua, NH to tell the kids about the Kid Governor Program and, (hopefully), get them interested in participating next year. We went to Broad St, Main Dunstable, Charlotte Ave, and Birch Hill Elementary Schools. What great audiences they were! The cooperation from all the students was amazing and I had an awesome time!! They asked a lot of great questions and seemed very interested in the program. I think we got the kids excited to have the chance to become next year’s NH Kid Governor! I wonder if the winner will be from Nashua again?

Lastly, I was asked to create a video presentation about the Kid Governor Program and another video about how to make pet toys, and yes... I am on YouTube!

I met up with my chief of staff, Melanie, and the videographer, Anthony, at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. The first video we made was all about how to make pet toys from recycled t-shirts. I was nervous so Melanie had the awesome idea of creating cue cards for me to help keep me on track. After that, the nerves went away and we went to work taping.

Lola with her teacher, Mrs. Foreman

Sometimes I would mess up, but they were so patient. Then, to make the video about the program, I was able to stand up at the podium in their auditorium and control my slideshow from the laptop that was projected onto two huge screens behind me while Anthony recorded my presentation. Many famous politicians have spoken at that podium and I am proud to say that I have too! I love that I can do work and have fun at the same time!

Well, go check out the videos. they're awesome!! Bye guys. Talk to you next month.

March Blog

March was awesome!

I was honored by the mayor at City Hall and received my very own next right outside the mayor's office!

Boy, was I nervous! I stood up in front of the mayor and all the aldermen to receive a special commendation. The aldermen gifted me a special pin for my sash! It is a silver ribbon pin with a paw print, it stands for animal cruelty prevention. I placed it next to my state seal from Valerie Sununu. There was a reporter there form the Nashua Telegraph, I am getting used to doing interviews now. One of my favorite parts was meeting a fan, Jana, she was so excited to learn first hand about the NH Kid Governor program.

Lola receives her desk at Nashua City Hall

Next, I was invited to the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College! I had a  great time! I made dog toys with all the student ambassadors, went on a crazy scavenger hunt and ate pizza! Oh… and, I gave my presentation on the NH Kid Governor Program. It was so cool! There were these 2 enormous screens behind me, and I got to control the slideshow from a computer at the podium. I felt empowered up there in front of all the college kids, they were so proud of me, and that made me feel really happy.

Then, I gave a presentation to the 4th graders at my school, Sunset Heights, on the kid Governor program to get them ready for 5th grade! They seemed to take the information seriously. They asked a lot of questions, I was a little overwhelmed. I wasn’t used to so many questions, but it will help me be well prepared for my future presentations. I can’t wait to watch next year's race!

Lola visits the Humane Society

Lola with students at Saint Anselm College

I was also invited to the humane society of Nashua to meet their CEO and President, Doug Barry and their Assistant Director of Development and Marketing, Chuck Mattia, for a chat and a tour of the shelter.


When we arrived we talked about how the shelter works, and different laws we would like to see passed, they gave me lots of information! Mr. Barry was kind enough to invite us to see the Pet Choice Awards!! I feel so special to be invited. Governor Sununu will be there too. Then, we went on the tour. The first place they showed us was where they keep and examine the new animals. Next, we got to meet, Stewie and whiskey. They were 2 big, super fluffy, rabbits who were meeting each other for the first time. Their meeting went well and I got to see them hug. Jemini was our next stop. She is a chubby 11 year old kitty who liked head rubs. Next, we went to see the dogs after meeting. There were some big dogs!

Last but not least, we went to see the cats. The cats were sleepy and so cute. I had a good time at the Humane society looking at all the cute animals and meeting all the great people who work and volunteer there.

Finally, the Pet toy club is starting at my school! I’ll tell you all about it next month. NH Kid Governor, out!

Official resolution recognizing Lola as the first New Hampshire's Kid Governor

February Blog

We’re off to a great start. Where to begin? So much has happened!

I did my first radio and television interviews. Both were fun, but my favorite was the television interview. There was so much cool equipment. I couldn’t WAIT to see how it all worked!

Lola at her first television interview

First, that chalk board behind us… it wasn’t even really THERE! It was all just… green! Green walls all around us! Nothing but green. You could put anything you could IMAGINE on the green screens! I might have chosen the beach, but I guess a chalk board is more formal. 

I have also received letters from Connecticut's' Kid Governor Ella and PETA Kids. I am so grateful for all the support I have received, together we can all make a huge difference. 

My family and I wanted to support my Executive Councilor Evelyn’s platform, so we volunteered at End 68 Hours of Hunger. It is a great organization and the volunteers work really hard. I thought it was cool that there were quite a few other kids volunteering as well. 

At End 68 Hours of Hunger, a lot of the food came on trays that could be used for kitty litter at the Humane Society, so we collected and delivered all of the trays that we could find. The Humane Society was very grateful! 

Finally, I would like to say, these are all things anyone could do, because we all have the choice. We all have the power to do great things, so choose to use your power for good! Next, I get my commendation and desk at the mayor’s office. Stay tuned next month!

Kid Governor Lola Giannelli, signing out for now.

Letter from CTKG Ella

Letter from PETA Kids

New Hampshire's Kid Governor Lola's Inauguration

On January 18, 2019, Lola Giannelli was sworn-in as New Hampshire’s first Kid Governor by New Hampshire's Chief Justice Robert Lynn.

Lola is sworn in as the 2019 New Hampshire's Kid Governor

Kid Governor Lola then administered the oath to her Kid Executive Councilors Ben Vachon and Evelyn Ellis-Haines. Lola gave an empowering ceremonial address that captivated the students as well as the legislators in attendance.

During her year long term, Kid Governor Lola hopes to create after school programs where students help make toys for animal shelters, volunteer for the local animal shelter, and start a petition for New Hampshire to adopt a law similar to Bill AB485 passed in California that forbids pet stores from selling animals from mills.

The ceremony ended with an official State Senate resolution delivered by State Senator Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua. Afterwards, Kid Governor Lola and her Kid Executive Councilors held a press conference further discussing Lola’s platform.

All three students are very excited to begin their journey to help stop animal cruelty. Lola not only plans on tackling the issue of animal cruelty but also poverty, an important issue to Evelyn, in New Hampshire. Both plan on volunteering at local food shelters and creating a winter clothing drive to help those in poverty combat the cold.

The inauguration ceremony was made possible with support from the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, the NHKG Advisory Board, the New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education, participating schools, the Connecticut Democracy Center, Governor Chris Sununu, New Hampshire's First Lady Valerie Sununu, and the New Hampshire State House.

A very special thank you goes out to NHKG State Coordinator Luane Genest and NHICE President Martha Madsen for all of their hard work.

From left to right: NH Kid Executive Councilor Ben Vachon, NH Kid Governor Lola Giannelli, NH Kid Executive Councilor Evelyn Ellis-Haines at the 2019 Inauguration Ceremony