2021 Connecticut's Kid Governor to be Inaugurated Friday, Jan. 22

Hartford, Conn. – Fifth-grader Reese Naughton of Southington will be sworn in as the 2021 Connecticut Kid Governor (CTKG) on Friday, January 22, in a virtual inauguration ceremony from Connecticut’s Old State House. She will take the oath of office from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

Students and teachers across the state will tune into Facebook and YouTube for the live, historic and exciting virtual Inauguration Day. The day will kick off with a formal ceremony with the national anthem performed by Connecticut’s State Troubadour Nekita Waller. State and federal officials including Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman John Larson, Attorney General William Tong, Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona, State Senator Rob Sampson, and others will speak to CTKG-Elect Reese, her Cabinet, and their constituents virtually. Outgoing 2020 CTKG Myra Stanfield will be in attendance to deliver her farewell address and to support CTKG-Elect Reese Naughton as she takes the official oath of office.

After she is officially sworn in and delivers her inaugural address, Kid Governor Reese and her Cabinet will participate in a news conference, answering questions pre-submitted by fellow 5th graders.

Following the inauguration ceremony, students from around the state will participate in a virtual educational program on the three branches of state government. Special guests Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Attorney General William Tong, former Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Dennis Eveleigh, and Connecticut State Senator Tony Hwang will answer student questions about their roles in state government. The day will conclude with exciting virtual games of civics trivia.

Reese was elected by the state’s 5th graders in the November 2020 Statewide Election for Connecticut’s Kid Governor. More than 6,000 students from 263 classes and 110 schools across the state participated in the Statewide Election. The six other candidates from the election will also serve in statewide leadership roles as members of Reese’s Cabinet, working together to support Reese and each other as they work toward achieving their own campaign goals. The Cabinet will meet regularly throughout their 2021 term.

After Inauguration Day, Reese will begin a one-year term of leadership as CTKG. She will take part in public programs with The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut's Old State House, raise awareness of pandemic health, and encourage students across the state to take action on her platform. Her Be Positive: Pandemic Perseverance platform has three goals:

• Brighten the lives of nursing home residents through positive messages.
• Create a virtual community crate and coordinate a statewide poster contest for positive messages by and for students.
• Encourage students to take care of their mental health through safe, outdoor activities.

CTKG is a national award-winning, statewide civics program created by The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut's Old State House (CTDC). The free program teaches fifth-grade students about state government, voting, and the importance of civic engagement through an authentic statewide election. The winning student serves a year-long term, with the opportunity to promote their platform via the program’s website and blog, meeting and speaking with their constituents, creating resources and tools for students to take action, and participating in programs across the state. The program is presented with funding and partnership support from CT Humanities and the Gawlicki Family Foundation, and in partnership with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies.

Past Kid Governors include 2016 CTKG Elena Tipton of East Hartford, 2017 CTKG Jessica Brocksom of Milford, 2018 CTKG Megan Kasperowski of Portland, 2019 CTKG Ella Briggs of East Hampton, and 2020 CTKG Myra Stanfield of West Hartford. You can learn more about Connecticut’s Kid Governor – both the program and the students – at CT.KidGovernor.org or by following CTKG on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Kid Governor® is a growing movement in civics education with affiliate programs in Oregon and New Hampshire where students elect their own state's Kid Governor each fall. Learn about the program at kidgovernor.org.

The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) at Connecticut’s Old State House provides people with a lifetime pathway to active citizenship and the tools to take civic action in their own communities. The CTDC strengthens civic engagement in the Constitution State by providing comprehensive and unbiased educational programming and outreach on state government, civics, history, and citizenship.