School House to the White House: DMPS and the Caucuses
Students at Roosevelt High School visit C-SPAN’s “Road to the White House” tour bus.
When the C-SPAN “Road to the White House” tour bus – a combination interactive museum and TV studio on wheels – pulled into the parking lot at Roosevelt High School this afternoon, it marked the end of a long list of caucus-related experiences for students before the actual event on the night of February 1.
Since 1972, classrooms, gymnasiums, cafeterias and auditoriums at public schools in Des Moines and across the state have hosted voters every four years for Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses.
It is no different in 2016 as Democrats and Republicans will head out on the first night of February and into what is the first step on the road to the White House.
The Iowa caucuses are not only a significant political event, they are also a unique opportunity for students at Des Moines Public Schools to learn and become involved in the small-d democratic process.
Encouraging students to be good citizens is important at DMPS. Afterall, one of the expectations for DMPS students is that they “understand the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state, national, and global levels” and “are actively engaged in community life.”
The C-SPAN tour bus stop at Roosevelt was probably the final caucus-related activity of 2016 at a school. Doug Hemming of C-SPAN spoke to students about the TV network and the resources they provide with their well-known gavel-to-gavel coverage. For example, they have hundreds of thousands of hours of video from governmental, political and historical events, something that might come in handy for students researching a term paper. When Hemming asked members of an AP government class if they were going to the caucuses, nearly every hand shot up followed by words of support for just about every candidate. C-SPAN is staying at Roosevelt for the rest of the day as they will broadcast live one of the precinct caucuses being held at the school.
For hundreds of DMPS students, the caucus may be the first time they participate in the electoral process. Anyone who will be 18 years old and an eligible voter by November 8 may register and take part in a caucus, meaning most high school seniors and many juniors will be able to do more than just voice support for a candidate but can be counted in the results. That’s why various organizations, such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, made presentations to high school civic classes about how the Democratic and Republican caucus processes work. As Amber Graeber, social studies curriculum and AP program coordinator at Des Moines Public Schools, told Politco: “This is such a great way to have other people come in — different voices — to come in and talk about what civic engagement looks like.”
Highlights of the many different ways the Iowa caucuses have intersected with the school district this year include:
- 45 of our 60 school buildings will be hosting caucuses on the night of February 1.
- Bernie Sanders visited and spoke to student assemblies at two high schools – Hoover and Roosevelt – in January.
- Hillary Clinton met with students at Moulton Elementary School in September before speaking to supporters in the gym; she also held the final rally of her Iowa campaign at Lincoln High School.
- Nearly 4,000 DMPS students at eight schools participated in last week’s Iowa Youth Straw Poll.
- Three DMPS teachers – Hoover’s Joseph Nydle, Lincoln’s Adam Arthur and Central Academy’s Canada Snyder – developed a new curriculum about the caucuses which has been used by schools across the state.
- As a result, several DMPS schools held mock caucuses, giving students a hands-on lesson in the process.
- The district welcomed hundreds of journalists from around the world covering candidate visits as well as how students engage with the caucus process.
- And last, but not least, Hillis Elementary School held their famous Cookie Caucus, a delicious way for students to learn about the process without focusing on individual candidates.
On top of it all, whether out of conviction to a candidate or for a little extra credit, many students have put in hundreds of hours in volunteer time for a variety of campaigns.
Understanding and participating in the Iowa caucuses is encouraged for staff as well as students. In fact, on the eve of the caucuses, Superintendent Tom Ahart sent a note to all school district employees encouraging them to attend, regardless of which party they belong to or which candidate they support. He told teachers and staff: “As we reflect on our district’s mission and one of the main reasons public schools exist at all, I feel compelled to urge each of you to participate in tomorrow’s caucuses. Regardless of your ideology or political preference, it is important for our country and Iowa’s first in the nation status that you participate. Even more critical, it is important that we model active participation in our democracy for our students.”
If Iowa’s special role in American politics continues in 2020, DMPS will be ready once again to not only help host the event but to also continue using the caucuses as a unique learning opportunity for our students.
