Why does it matter?
This wasn't just one project, it was a beginning of many things. This was us learning where we actually stood with these presidential candidates, it was us learning how to stand up for our own opinions while respecting other's, and most importantly it was us learning how to be educated and informed voters.
If you would like to view the full project description then click on the button above. It will take you to the election project page on Joanne's DP.
We started off with a question. What does it mean to be patriotic? Were the police who were defending their way of life more patriotic than the civil rights protesters? Does taking the knee during the national anthem to raise awareness about an issue not patriotic? Not so simple, is it? We then took a quiz on isidewith.com to find which candidate we agreed with the most. I agreed with Hillary Clinton 98% and Jill Stein 93%.
None of us were able to vote in this presidential election, but we were all extremely invested in it. We understand what the consequences are and what it means to have Trump as president. Our country is changing, not necessarily for the better. We may not be able to vote, yet, but we a voice that can be powerful.
If you would like to view the full project description then click on the button above. It will take you to the election project page on Joanne's DP.
We started off with a question. What does it mean to be patriotic? Were the police who were defending their way of life more patriotic than the civil rights protesters? Does taking the knee during the national anthem to raise awareness about an issue not patriotic? Not so simple, is it? We then took a quiz on isidewith.com to find which candidate we agreed with the most. I agreed with Hillary Clinton 98% and Jill Stein 93%.
None of us were able to vote in this presidential election, but we were all extremely invested in it. We understand what the consequences are and what it means to have Trump as president. Our country is changing, not necessarily for the better. We may not be able to vote, yet, but we a voice that can be powerful.
Project Process |
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable...Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." - Martin Luther King Jr. |
Dear Future President LetterAt the beginning of the semester, each of us wrote letters to our future president concerning subjects that were important to us. These subjects ranged from criminal justice, environment, to lobbying. This was part of a nationwide competition. The link to their website is here.
Featured below is my final draft, click here to view the other drafts and outline. |
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CAMPAIGN TEAMS - DEBATEThe Juniors were split into four campaign teams, one for each presidential candidate on our ballot. Then, we were split into groups of three for each umbrella issue. Economy, social, and foreign policy. We did climate change in biology.
I was on Jill Stein's foreign policy team and was the expert on Jill's stance on North Korea and Nuclear Deals. The purpose of our research was to present our findings in a debate in front of our whole school (note: school population is four hundred). It was a mock presidential debate but with third parties. |
CAMPAIGN TEAMS - TRUTH ADSIn the same foreign policy team, we created a truth ad on Jill Stein's foreign policy. We fact-checked her statements and policies to verify if they were true and/or possible using reliable sources. We compiled most of our research into a two minute video within a week and a half.
Fact-checking is not only important for our project, it is important to fact-check everything you're voting for. In this day and age, information is easily accessible. Take advantage of it and make sure you're an informed voter. |
Truth Ad - Jill Stein Foreign Policy |
Exhibition |
The video above is what we presented at our Voter Info Night (aka Exhibition). We had a week and a half to pull this together.
We did our mock debate in front of the school one day before the actual election. |
Exhibition was a collective school wide effort. The sophomores did the propositions, seniors did the local measures, and we fact-checked the presidential candidates.
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Reflection
The election was harrowing. But it finally hammered into everyone's heads just how divided our nation is. If you look at the demographics of who voted for each candidate, it is easy to see that it was split by race and education. In the days following the election, there were many hate crimes and the world became a much more terrifying place to be overnight. It may be an impossible wish, but I hope that everyone can look past hate, greed, and fear to come together and support everyone including: women, minorities, the poor, uneducated, LGBT+ community, disabled, and immigrants.
If I hadn't been part of this project I would have not been as emotionally invested in it. Nevertheless, this project was incredibly important in how I will view the world from now on. It also made me realize the importance of educating yourself. Candidates lie and media can be biased. It is extremely important to fact-check them and their policies not just from one news source but a variety of them. To me, being an informed voter means that you are exercising your right to vote to its fullest extent. You need to vote with your head, not your heart.
I liked that we were trying to make a change and change ourselves to be more open-minded and knowledgeable. I learned more about myself such as the fact that I like debating. I also found that it is hard to teach people about a candidate without letting your opinions slide into it especially when you don't support them. I also discovered, after the election, that people can be extremely hateful and that this place that I call home isn't as supporting as I thought it was. But all in all, this project was worth the frustration because moving forward, we understand the importance of being informed voters.
If I hadn't been part of this project I would have not been as emotionally invested in it. Nevertheless, this project was incredibly important in how I will view the world from now on. It also made me realize the importance of educating yourself. Candidates lie and media can be biased. It is extremely important to fact-check them and their policies not just from one news source but a variety of them. To me, being an informed voter means that you are exercising your right to vote to its fullest extent. You need to vote with your head, not your heart.
I liked that we were trying to make a change and change ourselves to be more open-minded and knowledgeable. I learned more about myself such as the fact that I like debating. I also found that it is hard to teach people about a candidate without letting your opinions slide into it especially when you don't support them. I also discovered, after the election, that people can be extremely hateful and that this place that I call home isn't as supporting as I thought it was. But all in all, this project was worth the frustration because moving forward, we understand the importance of being informed voters.