Betty is a 4th grader enrolled in Mother of Divine Grace School and has recently gotten the bill passed to officially make hunting Idaho's state sport. What an achievement!

Betty's mom, Diana, comments, "It has been a stretching and rewarding experience for her, and a unique opportunity to see how ideas can move beyond the page and into real life. We’re grateful for a homeschool environment that encourages curiosity, initiative, and meaningful work, and we wanted to share this moment with you."

We asked Betty if she would tell us more about this experience & she shared her thoughts below! 

"This project began with a little newspaper I started two years ago called the Grandy Gazette. I send it out to friends and family. My mom wanted me to learn about Idaho history since I'm in fourth grade, so she got me a book. While reading it, I learned Idaho does not have a state sport. I asked my newspaper subscribers to vote in a poll about what the state sport should be. They picked hunting.

My grandfather read the newspaper and was able to get me in touch with people who work at the Capitol Building. They loved the idea of a state sport! They were able to get me a meeting with the governor. I was so grateful. The governor said that it was a wonderful idea and that he would sign the bill if it passed the House and Senate. Then I had to get a bill sponsor. Representative Don Hall agreed to do that. I went to the House committee and gave a speech. They unanimously voted to pass the bill. Next, I gave my speech before the Senate committee. Then the Senate passed it unanimously. After that, I got to go to the bill signing ceremony with the governor. It was amazing! As a family, we all learned how a bill gets made.

I was glad I had gotten that far. Big or small, everyone has a voice in the government."

You can watch Betty's presentation to the House committee here.

You can also check out the news article published after the bill signing! 

We are so proud of Betty for this wonderful achievement! If you are planning on having your own student take state history, we have a resource that is adaptable to any state! Most states have students study state history in 4th grade, and our supplemental resource is located in the History 4 syllabus.