PHILLIPS — At the Phillips Elementary School, social studies is more than just reading textbooks, listening to lectures, and writing papers. Here, students in grades 5 – 8 also experience “real life” social studies through involvement in their own student government along with various other opportunities provided by their teacher, Lance Harvell.
Back in September, Harvell, now in his third year of teaching social studies, threw his hat in the ring as a candidate for Franklin County Commissioner to represent District 2.
“I was especially excited to see how interested the students were in the whole process of running for office,” Harvell said.
What better way to engage classes in the study of government than to provide them such an opportunity to observe it in real life. Even more exciting was the fact that he won!
Harvell declared that it was “because of their excitement (that this election) may be the happiest I’ve won!”
Harvell has previously served four terms as a Representative in the Maine Legislature, from 2004 through 2018. His other professional experience, before leaving the Legislature to teach, includes service in the United States Air Force in Europe for four years, where, incidentally, he met his wife,Bernadette. Following his military service, Harvell also employed at Verso Paper for 28 years.
His personal and professional connections to Maine’s legislators have made it possible for him to arrange visits from several special guests. Most recently, on January 5, Attorney Paul Mills of Farmington, in his capacity as Notary Public, came to the Phillips School to administer the Oath of Office to the new County Commissioner at a special assembly of Harvell’s middle level students…
“I, Lance Harvell, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and Laws of the State of Maine, and all local ordinances, and that I will faithfully and impartially perform and discharge the duties of the office of Franklin County Commissioner of District 2, according to the law and the best of my ability.”
Following the ceremony, Harvell signed the written statement affirming that the oath had been administered and understood, a real life example of a primary source document.
“My experiences in the Legislature have allowed me to show the real life applications of political theory,” he continued, “talking about the (relationship amongst the) branches of government or the power of the veto…how pressure is put on people to convince them to vote one way or another…and also the personal connections that are made across the aisle…”
Another special event featured a question and answer session with State Representative Tom Skofield, State Representative Allison Hepler, former State Representative Deb Sanderson, and State Representative Wayne Parry. Prior to this event, students prepared lists of questions covering a wide array of current issues and prompting much lively discussion. A particularly hot topic: “Do you have any dirt on Mr. Harvell?”
Other special guests have included former State Senator Tom Saviello, State Senator Russell Black, and Congressman Jared Golden.
Harvell has also taken groups of students to the State House in Augusta. Geared towards meeting the standards in social studies, the field trip was even more noteworthy because of the informal meeting with Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, who is not only Maine’s first female Governor, but Maine’s first Governor ever from Franklin County.
Representative at the time, Thomas Skolfield also joined the group in the Governor’s Conference Room.
While at the Capitol, the students, none of whom had ever been to the State House before, also observed the House in session and visited the Hall of Flags and a Joint Standing Committee meeting room, where legislation is discussed and testimonies for and against are heard. That visit concluded with a tour of the Maine State Museum.
When asked by his students why he would “give up all that to come teach us”, Harvell explained, perhaps a bit tongue in cheek, “I had higher hopes for you as future leaders than I did for them…hoping you’re more teachable.”
In fact, Phillips students in grades 6 – 8 have been successfully running their own government ever since the “new” school opened up on route 4 in the fall of 1988. Under the direction of then-social studies teacher John Calloway, the Constitution of the Phillips Middle School was written by student representatives, then submitted to the general population for ratification, which included approval of the school’s principal and the district’s school board. The original document, another primary source, includes the signatures of the Constitution Committee: Holly White, Tabbatha Atkinson, Adam Abbott, Erica Alt, Alyssa Tooker, Joe A. Decker, and Ernie Nunan.
The Preamble reads, “We the students of the Phillips Middle School, in order to expand and enjoy the benefits of democracy, provide a functional Student Government, and participate in the development of our school, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Phillips Middle School.”
This government of the students, by the students, and for the students follows the same basic structure as the Constitution of the United States of America. A three branch “federal system” is composed of Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches, all “duties, responsibilities, and powers” of which are outlined in the document. Additionally, students in grades 6 – 8 have their own governments, comparable to the separate states of the Union. Their duly elected Governors run regular class meetings. Each class also elects Senators who will represent their classmates’ voices at the Council meetings.
As it happened, the son of one of the Founders was recently elected President. Ash Rollins, son of Alyssa (Tooker) and Dustan Rollins, follows in the footsteps of older brother, Bear, who served as Student Council President before him. In his campaign speech, Ash commented on that family history of service and stated that he hoped to be a voice for his constituents, sharing their ideas with the Council as they make future plans for the middle level citizens.
Other candidates for President were John Arms, Bailea Haines, and Kharlie Turner, all 8th graders as required by the Constitution. 7th grader Michael Wilkins was elected Vice President. He ran against classmate Jenna Osgood. All the candidates gave speeches at lunch one day. Voting was held immediately after and the results announced later in the afternoon.
Lance Harvell is the Student Council’s faculty advisor. What better way to reinforce the concept of “real life” social studies than to assist the students in running their own government?
In perspective, student government at the Phillips School has been every bit as challenging to its citizens as to those at state and national levels. Many of their traditional events have had to be severely regulated, revised, or even cancelled. “Real life” social studies indeed.

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