SCDN sat down with Kalan Johnson, son of former Mayor Kevin E. Johnson and the current mayor of Threetown (comprised of the third-grade classrooms) at Portsmouth Elementary.
Threetown has its very own city council as well. The student politicians were sworn into their important offices during a Portsmouth City Council meeting.
“We actually got to go there and they read something to us,” Kalan said. “A few days later we had our first meeting at the school.” The student politicians immediately began to lobby for a field trip at Noble Farms. They contacted the school superintendent and went to work figuring out a budget for the outing. The students also figured out what they would do about lunch that day. The field trip was approved.
Kalan says the third-graders have stores in their town. Among them is a secret thrift store where kids can get anything they need in private without fear of embarrassment. There’s a general store with snacks and toys.
He says they’ve appointed an arts council also plans to make murals, just like the ones in downtown Portsmouth. “We’re gonna have everybody sign their names on it.”
The students also plan to add a kitchen where the kids are going to learn cooking skills and open their own bakery as well as a farmer’s market.
Kalan said that after discovering the arts council used a lot of paper, the Threetown City Council instituted recycling.