Post by title1parent on Nov 2, 2008 8:54:36 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1255578,6_1_NA02_WAUBONSIE_S1.article
The results are in
Waubonsie Valley students vote for their own slate of candidates
November 2, 2008
By TIM WALDORF twaldorf@scn1.com
Waubonsie Valley High School held two mock presidential elections Friday.
The first, which featured the actual candidates for the post, proved to be a landslide victory for Democratic candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. He won with 69 percent of the vote.
The other election, which saw three of the school's seniors stump for the hypothetical honor of holding the highest office in the land, was considerably closer. With his pledges to keep America pro-choice, to provide health care for all Americans, and to get America out of Iraq as soon as possible, senior Kyle Jackson emerged victorious with 43 percent of his classmates' votes.
"I feel like I kind of accomplished something," Jackson said. "I feel like people were listening to me."
Over the course of Thursday and Friday, Waubonsie's government teachers turned the school's auditorium and atrium into convention halls where seniors like Jackson staged their campaigns.
"They articulated their platforms very well," said Chris Wolak. "They really took it seriously. They ran on issues."
They delivered speeches and debated issues. They held "town hall" meetings and handed out "edible propaganda," such as cookies, cake and candy. They even met small groups of voters - individual government classes - and, face to face, explained their positions on the issues that were most pertinent to them.
In the end, Jackson's message resonated.
For him, though, the intensity of the entire experience is what he'll remember most.
"I wasn't surprised," he said, "but I was relieved a little bit. It was a very strenuous two days. I can't believe the real candidates go through that for two whole years."
The results are in
Waubonsie Valley students vote for their own slate of candidates
November 2, 2008
By TIM WALDORF twaldorf@scn1.com
Waubonsie Valley High School held two mock presidential elections Friday.
The first, which featured the actual candidates for the post, proved to be a landslide victory for Democratic candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. He won with 69 percent of the vote.
The other election, which saw three of the school's seniors stump for the hypothetical honor of holding the highest office in the land, was considerably closer. With his pledges to keep America pro-choice, to provide health care for all Americans, and to get America out of Iraq as soon as possible, senior Kyle Jackson emerged victorious with 43 percent of his classmates' votes.
"I feel like I kind of accomplished something," Jackson said. "I feel like people were listening to me."
Over the course of Thursday and Friday, Waubonsie's government teachers turned the school's auditorium and atrium into convention halls where seniors like Jackson staged their campaigns.
"They articulated their platforms very well," said Chris Wolak. "They really took it seriously. They ran on issues."
They delivered speeches and debated issues. They held "town hall" meetings and handed out "edible propaganda," such as cookies, cake and candy. They even met small groups of voters - individual government classes - and, face to face, explained their positions on the issues that were most pertinent to them.
In the end, Jackson's message resonated.
For him, though, the intensity of the entire experience is what he'll remember most.
"I wasn't surprised," he said, "but I was relieved a little bit. It was a very strenuous two days. I can't believe the real candidates go through that for two whole years."