Election Night Event Educates
Voters Club’s Election Night poster. Image Credit: Voters’ Club
On Tuesday, November 8, students gathered in the Upper School at 7 pm to watch election results come in.
The night was hosted by Mr. Blickman, Ms. Ogden, and the leaders of the Voters’ Club: 11th graders Allegra, Avery, and Belle. According to 9th Grader Noah, after enjoying some options of “pasta, pizza, and even salad… we watched some news coverage from Fox, CNN, and NPR,” which 11th Grader Warner said, “added to the liveliness of that night.”
Belle, Vice President of the Voters’ Club, shared, “I feel as though the goal was to make sure everyone understood how voting works, as well as the importance of voting.” According to Voters’ Club mentor Mr. Blickman, the hope of the night was, “to have fun consuming politics, while not in a way that’s adversarial, as well as building the GCDS community. Also, for students to become more politically literate.”
When asked if the students learned anything that night, 9th Grader Noah stated that “we learned about the common terminology used throughout elections, like ‘red wave,’ and ‘absentee ballots,’ and what they mean.” 11th Grader Belle echoed several other students when she shared that, “I learned about the large split between the way CNN and Fox News transmit their information.”
The first GCDS Election Night seems to have accomplished its goals, as 11th Grader Warner suggested when he said, “I definitely had a very positive experience, and I think that anyone who was interested in staying informed about the political climate did as well.”
When asked if the night was an overall success, Mr. Blickman replied that “overall it was a good experience for students, and I bet that for the Presidential one, we’ll have a larger turnout.” For those interested in learning more, the Voters’ Club is a community at the Upper School that “talks about the government, races happening, and is an overall good club to help stay informed about the times,” according to 11th Grader Maddox.
