In 1776, the First Continental Congress voted on the official language of the country. English won over German by one vote. During the recent Upper School Mock Election Assembly, Tom Crofts, History Department Chair, used this example to stress the importance of every vote. Had two people decided not to vote that day, you would be reading this article in German! Clearly, the right to vote has been very important to United States citizens since the birth of our country. During this pivotal election year, faculty members in the Upper and Lower Schools integrated the study of government and democracy into the curriculum in unique ways to give students an in-depth look at the election process in our country.

Working as a team, the history department believes that this year’s election mini-unit was particularly significant. Mr. Crofts said, “By giving speeches and voting in a mock election, students become better informed about the relevance of the political process and the opportunities it presents. In just a few short years, some of our students will be old enough to vote in the General Election and will make decisions about our country’s future. The better informed they are, the more optimistic we can be about our future.”

Lower School Language Arts/Social Studies Chair, Anne Hoisington-Hutchinson, coordinated the Lower School mock election. Her goal was for students to come away with a better understanding of fundamental democratic concepts. She said, “The election mini-units are designed to engage students in the drama of an historic presidential campaign and to offer the opportunity to cast a ballot for an elected official – just like their parents.”

During this process, LFCDS students became well-educated about each of the candidates' key issues. On November 4, the ballots were cast and the School was buzzing with excitement about who had won the LFCDS vote! Read on to see the results...

ALL MONTH LONG, fourth graders prepared research projects that demonstrated their understanding of one of the two major party candidates’ platforms. Their projects ranged from writing their own persuasive TV commercials to designing brochures, bumper stickers and pins promoting their candidate. The final products were then presented to their classmates. Fourth graders also hosted a “candidate forum” for the rest of the Lower School during a Community Meeting in late October. Alex Gamache and Alida Blendonohy spoke on behalf of John McCain and Dominique Hance and Sydney Erickson spoke on behalf of Barack Obama. This gave our younger students a chance to learn where Senators Obama and McCain stood on key issues of the environment, education and the economy.

Third graders developed posters outlining the differences between the two candidates’ viewpoints on the issues of the environment, education and the economy. The oral presentation of their work helped solidify their own understanding of the platforms and provided second graders with enough information to be able to make a decision for the mock election voting.

First and second grade teachers integrated the study of democratic concepts into their existing curriculum. Using resources from the League of Women Voters and their Scholastic News periodicals, first and second grade teachers registered their students to vote and discussed the importance of the right to vote as part of our citizenship responsibilities in a democracy.

Senior kindergartners learned about the electoral process by voting on an issue that was closer to home. Following a discussion of the benefits of planting tulips and lettuce in their garden, they voted on one of the two choices.

Students in the Lower School worked together throughout the mock election process. On Election Day, there were many satisfied Lower School students walking the halls with “I Voted Today” stickers displayed on their shirts. They have become well-informed students, proud of what they have learned