Activism at the Pine School

The 2020 presidential election is the most important one yet, or at least this is what it feels like. Voting is the cornerstone of a democracy but sadly far too few people vote. Since many students are not aware that they represent an untapped voting power in the United States, we want to provide all students at The Pine School with an opportunity to practice the process of voting. Our goal is to galvanize the students into action, hopefully resulting in more registrations and activism within our school community and outside. The process of voting itself can be stressful and confusing, so we expect to familiarize the students with the system.

Sara Velcani and I, with the help of a few teachers, hosted a mock election on November 2nd for the entire Pine School community. Faculty and students of all grades were welcome to vote during lunch that day, and the outcome was impressive. While the final results of the mock election were significant, I find the number of people that voted remarkable. Students unable to vote in the real 2020 presidential elections passionately discussing the mock one brought a wave of activism to the school.

We reincorporated our school values into our messaging - morality, leadership, and responsibility - and motivated civic participation and engagement among both faculty and students.