Whitehall Township on Monday will be run by a group of Whitehall High School seniors, who will occupy the offices of the mayor, board of commissioners, solicitor, police chief, fire chief and other department heads.

The daylong Student Government Day will have students serving as commissioners to tackle several hot-button issues, with votes cast in mock fashion.

Commissioner Phillips Armstrong, a retired WHS teacher who chaired the social studies department, is responsible for bringing the event to the township.

"We'll have an agenda," Armstrong said during Monday's commissioners workshop. "The students will shadow the mayor, police chief and all others."

Giant Foods is partnering with the Student Government Day organizers by providing breakfast for the group.

The students will hold a 1 p.m. board of commissioners meeting, which is open to the public.

Armstrong said he would like to see other municipalities adopt a Student Government Day. He lamented that courses such as civics, history and geography have taken a back seat due to standardized testing.

Monday's program marks the second consecutive year the township has held this program.