Bayside Academy students recently demonstrated strong leadership and civic engagement at the Alabama Youth Legislature Conference in Montgomery, where 42 students from the school joined peers from across the state for a weekend of legislative debate, judicial proceedings and leadership activities.

The conference allows high school students to simulate the functions of Alabama’s state government, debating proposed legislation, arguing constitutional cases and participating in executive leadership roles.

Bayside’s ninth-grade delegation once again earned top honors at the state level. The school recorded the most Outstanding Delegates in the First-Year Chamber, with Bennett Lieb, Elizabeth Handwerger, Elias Blossom, Colman Klecker and Hayden Coumanis each receiving the distinction. Coumanis also received the conference’s highest individual honor, Most Outstanding Delegate.

Students also achieved notable success in legislative proceedings. John Stephen Klimjack and Coumanis had their bills passed in their respective chambers and signed into law by the Youth Governor. Sebastian Winstead served as Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and celebrated the passage of his bill in the Senate. Pedro Benassi Monegatto held a leadership position as assistant floor leader in the House.

Bayside students also took on roles in the judicial and executive branches of the program. Mary Helen Williams and Arabella Rowland served as Supreme Court justices, hearing cases and ruling on their constitutionality during the conference. Austin Pete Williams and Anne Riley Williams were selected for the Governor’s Cabinet, where they participated in executive leadership responsibilities.

Zoë Langley served on the Youth Legislature media team, documenting the weekend’s events and capturing the experiences of student delegates. Cruz McMurry was also selected as an alternate to the Conference on National Affairs, a national leadership forum that brings together top student delegates from across the United States.