ENGAGE AND INSPIRE

ENCOURAGING YOUTH POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT

On a day in early November, two political candidates and their teams eagerly awaited election results — who was more successful in reaching their constituents? Which party managed to align with popular opinion? The Monday before Election Day, students and staff in our Upper School had cast their votes as part of an election simulation enacted by students in the Election 2020 social studies elective course this fall. The experience provided students with not only the means to learn about our election process, but also to catalyze their engagement with issues of real significance and the political process as a whole.

Led by Social Studies and History Teacher Melissa Zemon, who brought previous experience with classroom election simulations, students began coursework with research about and observations on the process, issues, and candidates of the national election. This included self-directed current events reports that helped students develop their views on key platform issues. Students also explored voter suppression and activism as they viewed and discussed the documentaries Capturing The Flag, which chronicles a 2016 grassroots campaign to fight voter suppression in Cumberland County, North Carolina and Slay the Dragon, which examines efforts to combat gerrymandered redistricting.

The students then had the opportunity to put their research to use. Using the results of a survey to gauge student views on a variety of issues, the students were divided into two political parties, the self-named Spicy Populists and People’s Progressives. “This process clarified for the students where the groups needed to find common ground to begin to formulate action steps for moving forward,” the teacher, Melissa, shared.

Once the parties were set, students chose what role they wanted to play: presidential candidate, campaign manager, pollsters, marketing and media, and fundraisers/canvassers. While given basic guidelines, the students were allowed to discover for themselves how to most effectively build their campaigns and communicate their platforms to fellow students and staff.

In addition to creating platform websites and campaign videos, the teams also prepared their candidates for a moderated debate and a town hall forum held online and open to the entire Upper School community.

To demonstrate one real-world challenge, Melissa and colleagues in the mathematics department created a CFS Electoral College. Among staff, groups of certain subject areas received more weight than others, while electoral votes for students were assigned arbitrarily, rather than by metrics like population or seniority. The experiential learning had broader real-world implications for one student, Laura McDow, who was working on a state senate campaign during the course, “To be able to simultaneously use what I learned in both was really awesome.”

When the votes were tallied, the People’s Populist Party won in a landslide, communicating a platform to fight systemic racism and to support climate justice. In his acceptance speech video, president-elect Croft Winfield thanked his supporters, but also addressed those who voted for the other candidate, “I wish to make it clear that I want to bring everyone together after this.”

“The students took pride in their work and engaged so deeply in the process,” Melissa noted. “It was inspiring to see young people with good ideas, working for change grounded in values of equity and justice. Many of the parents followed along with excitement as well! It gave me such a sense of hope.”

EARLY VOTERS

Leading up to the 2020 election, Campus Early Schoolers learned how our democracy works and then held their own election. On the ballot: whether to have snack outside that day, or inside. They proudly wore their “I voted” stickers afterwards.

— Katherine Scott