Meriden Student To Serve In CT Kid Governor's Cabinet

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden student will be sworn in to serve in the Connecticut Kid Governor's cabinet at a ceremony Friday, according to a statement. Houda Jaouad, a fifth-grader at Casimir Pulaski Elementary School, will be sworn in during a virtual inauguration ceremony from Connecticut’s Old State House.

Reese Naughton of Southington was the winner of the election and will be sworn in as the 2021 Connecticut Kid Governor. Houda and Reese 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 event. 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 at the event.

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. Officials 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 election.