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Mayor Marks' "Principles to,lielp Cities Succeed" -Nage 10
2010 Florida Municipal Achievement Awards Call fOi. Entries - page 15
part of the activity for many of the
students involved.
Margate
The City of Margate hosted its 3rd
Annual Student Government Day in
recognition of Florida City Govern-
ment Week.
The day is coordinated by a Margate
Middle School teacher and members
of student government. The day began
with a bus transit picking up the stu-
dents and bringing them to City Hall.
There, they met with the city clerk,
city manager and city commissioners.
The students then took on the roles
of mayor, vice mayor, city commis-
sioner, city manager, city attorney and
city clerk. They also toured the police
department, Calypso Cove (an aquatic
center), the fire department, the water
treatment facility and the public -works
department compound.
Monticello
Vice Mayor John Jones partnered
with the- Care Center of Excellence
Charter School, speaking to the entire
student body about city government in
a general assembly. Jones also led the
school in the Pledge of Allegiance and
discussed the city's municipal code and
charter, as well as the responsibilities
of various city officials. Students were
encouraged to become community
leaders themselves.
This city government visit has now
been integrated into the school's yearly
curriculum.
North Palm Beach
North Palm Beach Mayor David
Norris and Vice Mayor William
Manuel provided a presentation on
local government to seventh -grade stu-
dents at Roosevelt Community Middle
School. The presentation was based on
key information provided by the Palm
Beach County League of Cities and
the John Scott Daily Florida Institute
of Government. (Some components of
the presentation were actually taken
24 Florida League of Cities
for the Florida League of Cities' most
recent annual conference, held on Au-
gust 13-15, 2009, in Orlando.) The
program day was videotaped by the
Palm Beach County School District.
Two third -grade classes from St.
Clare Catholic School also celebrated
Florida City Government Week by at-
tending a City Council meeting as part
of a school project.
North Port
Each year, the City of North Port
hosts a "Government on Wheels"
program, in which city commissioners
and department directors go into the
community and talk with residents.
This year, City Hall representatives
were guests at every school in the city.
North Port also sponsored its first
community photo project, in which resi-
dents were asked to submit photos of
their favorite aspects of the city. Nearly
150 photos were submitted. (A photo
slideshow can be seen on the city's Web
site, www.cityofnorthport.com.)
North Port
In addition, photos submitted by the
community appeared in a slideshow
that aired during a City Commission
meeting this past fall. The meeting
was broadcast both online
and on Sarasota County's
government access station,
Access Sarasota TV.
The City of North Port
estimates that it reached
more than 2,500 children
and adults during its
Florida City Government
Week activities.
North Palm Beach /
Oakland Park
The City of Oakland Park used
Florida City Government Week as
a time to showcase a new initiative,
"Student of the Quarter." The initia-
tive, implemented by the city and its
advisory board, recognizes students
from area schools who meet specific
criteria for academic achievement, a
positive attitude, model behavior and
attendance. The program is concurrent
with the academic school year.
In the Student of the Quarter ini-
tiative, a student will be selected each
Quality Cities — March/April 2010 25