FAIRBURY - Do you know who all your local elected officials are? Or what the different departments in your county’s government do? Thursday, students in Southeast Nebraska got a chance to learn the answers to those questions with a trip to see their local government in action.   

Nearly 100 juniors from four local schools – Fairbury, Meridian, Tri County and Diller-Odell – spent their Thursday mornings getting a firsthand look at all the departments, and the people within them, that all work together to make Jefferson County government function.  

"We learned a lot about just what this county does, and all the different types of work people do, like the EMTs, the people who work on the roads, all the people who work in this building," said Zoey Frerichs, a junior at Fairbury High School.

It’s all part of a plan to foster the connection between the young people that live in this part of the state with the people who work to represent them in the local government.  

"This is very important to us, because what we do here at the county level of government is going to have the most impact on them going forward," Jefferson County commissioner Mark Schoenrock said. "They were so engaged, and it was great to connect with them, because we’re doing this for them, for that rising generation."

The day began with an overview from the Nebraska Extension Office, and then the students spent the rest of the morning cycling through ten stations in and around the Jefferson County Courthouse, spending time with elected officials like the clerks, attorney and treasurer, and with the frontline forces like the highway department, ambulances and emergency services. 

"We find, when we did this in the past, that individuals, when we did something to show them their property, they really enjoy looking at it. So if you can make a connection with them like this, they’re more attentive," said Jerry Zabokrtsky, a real estate and GIS clerk in the assessor's office. "We would set them down at the computers here, they’d value a house, a grain bin, we’d show them pictures of houses where they live, we’d pull it up on the screen...They interacted, and they learned what we did."

Whether it’s through conversations with the commissioners or the veterans service officer, by checking out the gear utilized by the highway department and law enforcement, or learning how the treasurer’s and assessor’s offices actually execute their intricate jobs, these students all gained new knowledge of and, perhaps, appreciation, for the cost of delivering quality government services.  

"We learned about just how much debt we have, I dind’t realize that was in the trillions, and how most of that’s gonna be on our generation [to handle]," said Frerichs.

"I didn’t realize how much cars would be, and how much you would have to pay for one even if you’re getting it bought by somebody else," said fellow Fairbury junior Keira Bey. "People that have more money and more wealth definitely should help out – anything would significantly help anybody. Knowing how much things cost, giving to people and giving to your community would help a lot."

And with many of these students gaining the right to vote within the next year, this type of direct understanding of how government can and should work becomes all the more essential.  

"These young people will be voters next year, they’re going to be turning 18, and this is going to be a very important part of their life," Schoenrock said. "So it’s a great opportunity for their government to connect with them, and for them to connect to their government."