CT Kid Governor Cristiano Almeida interview with Mr. Tony Loomis

Hello everyone!

By far one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve had as Connecticut’s Kid Governor has been turning my campaign platform into a reality! My first platform point is to “Create a Fit4FunKids video series with interviews” for 5th graders to watch, learn, and enjoy. These interviews will be with professionals in the field of physical health and fitness.  

I am so happy to share with you that I conducted my first interview for this video series! It was with Mr. Tony Loomis, President of The Connecticut Association of Administrators of Health and Physical Education (CAAHPE) and Southington High School’s Health & Physical Education Department Leader.  

Thanks to the collaboration that the Connecticut Democracy Center has with the Department of Families and Children (DCF), I had the opportunity to meet and interview Mr. Loomis in a real TV studio! The show was DCF’s “Doors to Hope and Healing” on Nutmeg TV.  It felt really official and I couldn’t believe all the lights and cameras and editing technology that surrounded me. It was really cool. Being in a real TV studio made me a bit nervous to conduct my interview, but I had the support of Ms. Jackie Ford from DCF who was the host of the show, and she thought of really great additions to the whole interview. It helped that I had my questions prepared ahead of time, but in the moment of the interview I was able to think of a few additional questions that Mr. Loomis had great answers for!

You all NEED to see this interview with Mr. Loomis! Imagine sitting next to  someone whose name is infamous in the field health and physical education in Connecticut. That was how I felt, and it was a good feeling.! Mr. Loomis is really passionate about physical fitness, and an expert in physical education. A bonus is that he’s from Southington (just like me), and  I found out during the interview that he previously worked with my dad who is also a physical education teacher! With a career spanning decades and more achievements than I can count, Mr. Loomis is the kind of person that everyone should hear from to learn how all students around Connecticut can be Fit 4 Fun!

I can’t wait to make more videos and interviews like this one.   There are so many experts out there that can contribute great fitness tips, and I want to learn from them so together we can make Connecticut 5th graders healthier and happier! 

Cristiano Almeida 

2024 Kid Governor

Oshana Elementary School      

Southington

Poster Contest Updates from CT Kid Governor Cristiano Almeida

Hello, everyone!

I hope you're all having a fantastic day! I've got some exciting news to share with you all!

In March, I partnered with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and CT Family Day on my statewide poster contest. I asked you to submit artwork that answered the question: In what ways do you and your family stay physically active? As your Kid Governor, one of the best parts of my job is seeing all the incredible creativity and talent that the 5th graders of Connecticut possess. And let me tell you, we received some truly outstanding submissions in the poster contest! I'm thrilled to announce that my amazing Cabinet Members and I have completed the challenging task of reviewing all the 5th-grade poster entries and selecting the top 13 posters to advance to the finals! Trust me when I say it wasn't easy, but it was my favorite part of our April Cabinet Meeting. Each poster submission was creative and brought its own fantastic fitness ideas. It was so hard to select the finalists. Now, you're probably wondering, "What happens next?" Well, hold onto your hats, 5th graders, because the excitement is far from over! I will be collaborating with DCF to determine the ultimate winner from among these amazing finalists. Together, we'll carefully examine each poster and consider creativity, originality, and of course, meaningful fitness ideas! To all the incredibly talented 5th-grade artists who submitted their work, thank you for participating in this really fun opportunity! I can honestly say I am inspired by the awesome job you all did. I am also so thankful for my Cabinet Members for making the tough process of narrowing down the poster submissions a little easier.

Lastly, I am grateful to the Connecticut Democracy Center for working hard to make the poster contest—which is the second point of my platform —a reality! 

Cristiano Almeida 

2024 Kid Governor

Oshana Elementary School      

Southington

From the CTKG Cabinet: Meet Paula!

Hi, my name is Paula! I am a 5th grade student at Ivy Drive School in Bristol and I was a final candidate in the 2023 Connecticut’s Kid Governor Election. I’m now a member of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet working with 2024 Kid Governor Cristiano!

I ran on a platform of Diversity and Inclusion. I chose this issue because I want everyone to feel included and special no matter their differences. My three-point platform is:

1. Create posters to help celebrate and create awareness about Diversity and Inclusion

2. Educate Connecticut’s 5th graders on Diversity and Inclusion with 5-minute Ted Talks.

3. Create an Interactive Welcoming Classroom for CT kids to learn about everyone’s culture and languages.

Since the Statewide Election, I have been working on my Welcoming Classroom on Google Classroom. I have made interactive videos about diversity and inclusion, a presentation of my own culture as an example of what students can create for theirs and I also added online reading stories that are related to my platform. I will continue to work on my platform by continuing to give talks to the 5th grade classes in my school to teach kids more about diversity and inclusion. I will also continue to post activities and videos on my Interactive Welcoming Classroom.

 

If you would like to support my platform, you can ask your teacher to create your very own “Welcoming Classroom” for your class to learn more about diversity and inclusion, and to add all the different cultures that are in your school. You can also create posters that reflect this topic and post them around your classroom and school.

I would love to hear about how you are making a difference around Diversity and Inclusion in your own community. Email Paula@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me all about it! You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/Cabinet2024 to read about the other members of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet. 

Paula Sanchez-Barreto

2024 Kid Governor's Cabinet 

Ivy Drive School

Bristol

From the CTKG Cabinet: Meet Max!

Hi everyone, my name is Max and I was a final candidate in the 2023 Connecticut’s Kid Governor Election. I am so happy to be a member of Kid Governor Cristiano’s Cabinet for the 2024 term! 

I’d like to share with you a little about my platform. I chose Internet Safety because most kids use the internet and I want to help spread the word about how they can use it responsibly. Of course we all know how much fun online games and apps are but I want my fellow fifth graders  to be aware of the dangers that could potentially occur. 

My three-point platform is:

1. Students will have one on one meetings with Social Emotional Learning teachers to talk about how to be safe online. 

2. Create a kid-friendly website for families to use as a resource for strategies, tips and tricks for knowing how to make the best choices while using the internet. 

3. Work with police departments to talk to kids about how to keep cybercrimes from happening to them. 

If you have any questions about Internet Safety or any part of my three point platform, you can reach me via email at Max@CT.KidGovernor.org.

Max Parisi

2024 Kid Governor's Cabinet 

East Haven Academy,

East Haven

From the CTKG Cabinet: Meet Ella!

My name is Ella and I was a final candidate in the Kid Governor state election and I am now a member of Kid Governor Cristiano's Cabinet. My community issue is stopping bullying. The reason I chose this issue is because I think bullying is way too common and needs to stop.
My three-point plan is:

1. First, I will have an encouraging allies week where I go to schools and teach students about the importance of stopping bullying.
2. Second, I will have a make a friend project where students go to different schools and make new friends there.
3. Third, I will have an anti-bullying club where students think of more ideas to help stop bullying. You can support me by speaking up about bullying and joining your school's anti-bullying club. If your school does not have an anti-bullying club yet, ask your teacher or principal about creating one.

I am excited to be a Cabinet Member. Feel free to email me at Ella@CT.KidGovernor.org. You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/Cabinet2024 to read about the other amazing members of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet.

Ella Hawkins

2024 Kid Governor's Cabinet 

CREC Ana Grace Academy of the Arts

Bloomfield

From the CTKG Cabinet: Meet Dahna!

Hello, My name is Dahna Lara and I'm a member of the 2024 Kid Governor's Cabinet working with Kid Governor Cristiano. I go to Grove J. Tuttle Elementary School in  New Haven. My platform is focused on littering. In this video, I spoke about my 3-Point Plan and the reason why I chose this platform. I also talked about how you can connect with me. 

My three-point platform is:

1. Organize Trash Walk Day in Connecticut when 5th graders can clean up their local parks, streets, and beaches. 
2. Host a video series to teach kids and adults how to recycle and compost correctly through interviews with community leaders.
3. Create a blog to share ways to take action on littering. 
   
   

I am excited to be a Cabinet Member. Feel free to email me at Dahna@CT.KidGovernor.org. You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/Cabinet2024 to read about the other amazing members of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet.

Dahna Lara

2024 Kid Governor's Cabinet 

Grove J. Tuttle Elementary School      

East Haven

From the CTKG Cabinet: Meet Clare!

Hi, my name is Clare Perreault. I’m a member of the 2024 Kid Governor's Cabinet! I live in Southbury and I go to school at Gainfield Elementary School in Southbury. I ran on a platform

of helping children all around Connecticut find hobbies that bring them happiness. I chose this platform because I know how it feels to not have something that interests you and it does not feel good. I don’t think anyone in this state should feel this way. I created three simple steps you can take to help me achieve my platform. Here they are: 

1. Find a Hobby Friday - 

Teachers can assign each student a week of the school year to give a presentation about one of their favorite hobbies. This could inspire their fellow students and classmates to try a hobby that they haven't done before! 

2. Try it and See Survey - 

Students can take an interest survey that lists lots of activities that they may want to try. Then, a school staff member, like the principal, can look at the surveys and see what activities are the most popular. After this, they can bring in a person or company that specializes in that specific extracurricular so students can learn more about the activity and where they can try it! 

3. Hobby Fair - 

Students will think about a favorite hobby and put together a presentation (this could also be the same presentation they give for Find a Hobby Friday) or make a display about it for a school Hobby Fair. Then, students, families, friends, and staff can walk around the fair to see all the different presentations and decide if there's anything they may want to try.

Want to support my platform? Tell your school about my three-point plan of action! Your school can take action and help the community by doing one (or all) of the three simple steps in my action plan. Have a Find a Hobby Friday, take a Try it and See Survey, or host a Hobby Fair. 

I would love to hear your suggestions for making my platform successful and about how you are helping others find their happiness! Email Clare@CT.KidGovernor.org to tell me all about it! You can also visit CT.KidGovernor.org/Cabinet2024 to read about the other members of the Kid Governor’s Cabinet.

Clare Perreault

2024 Kid Governor’s Cabinet

Gainfield Elementary School

Southbury