'Student Government Day' held in Saginaw - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(03/18/13) - It was an eye-opening education outside the classroom in Saginaw.

Officer Jeff Wenzel and his K9 partner 'Kilo' showed area high schoolers just how quickly the trained German Shepherd can find drugs.

The police department was represented, and so was the fire department.

"They had this thermal imaging thing that can like pinpoint where we're at in the house if we get trapped into a fire," said Abbie-Jo Johnson, Carrollton High School student.

It's all part of 'Student Government Day' - hosted by the city of Saginaw - and the American Legion Post 22.

"A lot of information about how the city works and the different things people go through and how much time money, really goes into maintaining a city like this," Johnson said.

Arthur Hill High School student Alex Perez got the chance to be a 'mock' city councilor, before this real-life meeting took place.

"It was a lot different than what you see on TV," he said.

Jacob Lyday was 'acting mayor' for the day. Their meeting mirrored the real one.

"The buying of a used forklift. As well as some proclamations including a day to honor Ceasar Chavez. And the crowning of a sports queen," Lyday said.

But perhaps most intriguing, the tours that took them to several city departments.

"They were amazed at how many tons of salt you have to have, or how many street lights there are. And the costs of running those kinds of things that we just take for granted," said Dennis Browning, Saginaw Mayor Pro-Tem.

A fun way to learn, but a serious lesson in what it takes to keep a city with a multi-million dollar budget running smoothly.

"They're going to be our future leaders in many different aspects. This may spark an interest in somebody that would be on a local council, a township, county or even state levels," Browning said.