Student/Voters Go to the Polls at River Woods
While 5th graders at River Woods Elementary School took part in a mock caucus, every student cast a ballot in the school’s straw poll.
Decisions, decisions!
When River Woods students reported for duty this morning they had to choose between turkey burgers and a yogurt/cheese-stick combo for their lunchtime meal so sufficient quantities could be prepared. But before they would get to eat they also had to pick among all of the candidates in the school’s presidential straw poll.
Teacher Odessa Peake was the de facto Commissioner of Elections and her 5th grade students manned the polling stations in the library as each of the 24 classrooms filed through to stuff the boxes with their pink ballots. Grades K-2 made their marks next to photographs of their favorites. Grades 3-5 had to read the names. Each voter was instructed to select one person from each party. After they were checked in and did what they came to do it was off to the cafeteria, sporting a sticker on their chest that affirmed “I Voted.” Selecting a president can make a kid hungry!
Peake held caucuses yesterday in her own classroom.
“We elected delegates,” she said. “On the Republican side there were two for Ted Cruz and one each for Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. The Democrats were three for Bernie Sanders and one for Hillary Clinton.”
That process with 20 or so 5th graders went pretty smoothly compared to Friday’s referendum that involved some 550 students in grades K-5. “I may have to come up with a different plan four years from now,” Peake said, shaking her head and smiling as the library, normally a quiet sanctuary, took on the vibe of a gymnasium.
One first grader wanted to know, “Is this real or fake?”
It looked authentic enough but one aspect of the exercise far surpasses what happens in the actual, grown-up elections. According to the chart in the main hallway, attendance this year at River Woods is running in the 97% range. That’s a voter turnout rate the country could be proud of come November.
Speaking of November, attention all DMPS high school students! Anyone who will be 18 by Election Day, November 8th, is eligible to participate in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on February 1st. Most seniors and even some juniors should qualify. Don’t pass up the opportunity!
Is the suspense killing you? It wasn’t easy but the numbers were tallied before the end of the day. Here are the official results at River Woods today:
Yogurt Combo 380
Turkey Burger 114
That’s what’s known in electoral politics as a landslide.
LATE-BREAKING UPDATE: In the presidential derby the results were tabulated in three separate voting blocs; K-2, 3-5 and staff. On the Democratic side Hillary Clinton swept all three. For the Republicans Carly Fiorina won among the K-2 set while Ben Carson was the choice in both of the older groups.
