Legislation proposed by local students and sponsored by two Senate Republicans to make sweet corn the official state vegetable of Illinois passed the Senate on April 23.
Senate Bill 800 was initially proposed by Jodi Acree’s 4th-grade class at Chatham Elementary School. Acree and the other Chatham 4th-grade teachers brought five classes of students to the Capitol to witness the bill’s unanimous passage.
“This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s not that often that you get to help make a law with your students,” said Acree. “This is real-life learning. No text book can teach what these kids are learning today.”