Civic-minded Students

April 5th was an election day that was a very important one for the students, staff, administrators, and parents of my high school. An educational fund referendum was on the ballot, and the lack of passing this would have great affect on the education at our high school. While not all students in the building are voting age, in fact few are voting age, the debate between the YES side and the NO side was alive and quite lively between the students in the building. A number of seniors went to their government teachers and expressed their need to have a voice in the building. They were expressing their need to be a part of the civic process by feeling and having a voice a citizens whether they were able to vote or not. To support their voices, this teacher allowed them to hold a debate. This debate would present both sides of the referendum and would then have time for questions and debate between the sides at the end. The teacher did not take sides (she is not allowed to, nor would this be wise because it would ostracize a portion of her class), but provided them the platform and environment to express their opinions. The students researched and came to the table with arguments about which they were passionate and knowledgeable. These debates were held during two class periods, one of which was taped and covered by the school newspaper. The link to the article is below, and within the article is the video of one of the debates. Regardless of which side a person is on, one can appreciate the passion of the students, their want to be involved citizens, and the preparations that they put into this debate.

Student Referendum Debate