Community members spend election night together
November 13, 2008
By Laura Geggel
With one screen featuring Fox News and the other showing CNN, students and community members swarmed to Mount Si High School’s commons on election night to watch history in the making.
Some students came for free food and extra credit, but many attended to spend Nov. 4 with their friends and watch electoral maps change to shades of blue and red. This was the high school’s second political event within a week; the entire staff and student body voted in a mock gubernatorial and presidential election Oct. 31.
Cate Reynolds came to the election watch with her daughter Sarah, a freshman at Mount Si.
“I think that it’s awesome they make it available for the students to be involved in the process,” said Cate. “When I was younger, we didn’t talk about it.”
Toying with a blue Barack Obama bracelet on her wrist, senior Alex Likeman explained her reasons for coming to the high school event.
“I love politics,” Likeman said. “I’m excited about the election.”
“We want to see Obama win,” freshman Wesley Nelson said. He said he had researched the matter, saying he liked Obama’s tax and healthcare plan more than McCain’s.
Jim and Elaine Larson, who watched the two screens with their eighth-grade daughter, had several reasons for coming to Mount Si.
“We don’t have a T.V. at home,” Jim said.
“It’s a community event,” Elaine added.
As the race tightened, senior Landon Wilson, president of the conservative club, said he planned to stay at the election watch “as long as they’ll let me.”
This is the second election watch held at Mount Si. The ASB and leadership classes started the event in 2004 and asked attendees for either a $1 donation or three cans of food. All of the proceeds benefited foodball, the annual food drive.
ASB and leadership teacher Charlie Kinnune reported the drive amassed $113 and 130 pounds of food, a good foodball prelude.
After donating to foodball, senior Devyn Parsons settled down in the commons to talk with her friends and watch the political coverage. Unlike many of her classmates, Parsons had passed the main impediment preventing high-school voting: she had turned 18.
“It was kind of weird, because I could finally vote,” Parsons said. “Instead of telling my parents what I think, my voice actually gets to be heard.”
Senior Brian Carlson also voted for the first time.
“I read up on everything that was on the ballot,” Carlson said. “I felt like I was playing my part for the country. I feel I made a difference, no matter how small.”
Social studies teacher Lisa Truemper, who helped organize the mock election, said she was pleased with the turnout of about 60 students and community members at the election watch. In addition to motivating her students to follow politics more closely, the election provided a useful real-world application to her curriculum.
“I’ll ask them how our mock election process was similar to the national election,” Truemper said.
“It’s pretty interesting to come out here and pay attention to it,” said junior Jake Beck. “I wanted to see it and I knew that if I stayed home I wouldn’t.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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