Brian Meersma of West Windsor will be heading to the nation’s capital in a few weeks to represent the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children and lobby congressman and senators in an effort to gain support for gifted children. But despite what you may have heard about lobbyists wining and dining political officials, don’t expect any of it from Meersma: He is a fourth grade student at Princeton Friends School, and is making the trip as runner-up in the state association’s annual contest with his independent project, “Politics for Kids.”##M:[more]##
Brian has already shown glimmers of a gift for politics, persuasion, and diplomacy. Kenneth Carlson of the Friends of West Windsor Open Space, recalls Brian’s participation in the challenge given to school-age children to sign up 20 new members in exchange for a free bike from a local sporting goods store. Brian, then 6, told neighbors about the importance of preserving open space and enlisted 40 new members.
“I must say that I am very impressed with Brian’s mature attitude and serious approach to what are generally considered to be adult causes,” Carlson wrote in a letter of recommendation for Brian’s application. “If more children had this level of commitment to environmental issues, the earth would be a far better and healthier place for everyone.”
His other letter of recommendation came from a WW-P substitute teacher Cynthia Scanlan: “As a coach of both boy’s and girl’s basketball teams with players ages 7 to 13 years old, I have rarely come across such a selfless player with his exceptional skills. One does not often see children of this age exhibiting such consistent examples of fairness and sportsmanship. At his young age, Brian seems to recognize that when you include all of your teammates, everyone improves, the game goes smoothly, and a good time is had by all.”
Born in West Windsor, Brian, now 10, attended Hawk School for four years. “His needs were not being appropriately met in the district,” says his mother, Kathy Meersma, a psychologist with a private practice who is also on the Rutgers counseling staff. “Princeton Friends School has been a wonderful experience for us.”
Brian’s father Steve, is an environmental engineer in New York City. His sister Kim, 13, is a seventh grade student at Grover where she is a member of the basketball team and the advanced choir.
Brian became interested in politics when he was three. “We talked about people from Israel and Palestine throwing stones at each other,” says his mother. “Brian said, ‘and this is the first I’m hearing about it?’”
Part of his project included an essay on “Interviewing: How to Interview, a Guide.” His advice includes the following: “Look for non-verbal clues about the question you just asked. If you see a facial expression that makes you think the subject is lying, then you might not want to write it.”
In February, 2005, he interviewed then Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester at his Berkshire Drive home. (Forrester lives on the same street as the Meersma family). Kids were invited to ask questions and let Forrester know what they think.
Questions asked of Forrester included: How did you decide to run for governor? What part of campaigning do you like best? What do you think is the most effective way of campaigning? What advantages do you have over the other Republican candidates in New Jersey? What are your main priorities?
Brian’s analysis of the interview includes the following: “I think Mr. Forrester answered some but not all of my questions. He also gave long answers, got off topic and then back on. His long answers may have made people forget what the question was. Politicians might duck questions because the answers might hurt them or they might get trapped into saying something they don’t want. I think that their staffs are a big help in telling them which questions not to answer. They sometimes change the questions to something that will make them look good.”
“It helps if the candidate you are running against is not as strong as you. Or doesn’t have a lot of money. I think that part of a campaign is not about the candidate, it’s about the opponent.”
His essay reads, “I became interested in politics when I was little on a trip to New York. I saw a sign that said ‘George Pataki Governor.’ I was surprised because I thought Christy Whitman was governor. My mom explained that each state has a different governor. I was confused and excited and asked lots of questions about governors and how they rule differently. It surprised me to learn that different states could have different laws.”
“In 2000 I was very interested in the presidential election. One day I turned on the news and it said George W. Bush was declared the winner. I wondered why they couldn’t have a complete recount if all the Florida votes didn’t come in correctly. The whole process was very confusing to me, but very interesting too.”
“I think that if kids get interested in politics, they might decide to run for office someday. Then maybe there will be more choices and not just millionaires running for office. Maybe if it didn’t take millions to run a campaign, we could get someone who better represents the views of the people.”
