A contingent of 25 Curtis student along with 25 Wagner students  were invited to attend the State of the State Address by Governor Mario Cuomo.  The students left for Albany  at 6:45 on January 9. Before the address the representatives of the New York public school system were treated to box lunches and were able to mingle with students from the other 61 counties.  When the group of student’s entered the lecture hall where the speech would take place, they found out that the State of the State Address would be, for the first time, combined with the annual budget meeting. The budget meeting is usually held the first week of January and the State of the State sometime in the middle of the month. However, this year the two became one due to the death of Mario Cuomo, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s father. To respect the former Governor and allow his son to attend all the ceremonies, the two meetings were combined.

The experience was a different one for the students. Breann McKeon said, “attending the speech was really enlightening and it showed me that New York is doing really well.”

The State of the State Address is given every year and attending was a great opportunity for the students. “Even though I am a senior, I hope that we get invited back every year because it is a great experience, especially for anyone interested in politics,” said Omar Alhagiko.