Huntley High hosts mock presidential election

The students in Anne Pasco's Huntley High School Current Issues class don't seem surprised when the day's homework assignment requires spending 90 minutes in front of the TV.

But as the students watched the final debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, they were instructed to do so as voters. And they had to write a paper to explain their choice.

"I want five factual reasons why you would vote for a particular candidate. This is the summation of all the things we've talked about," Pasco tells her students.

For social studies teachers who want to make lessons relevant, every four years presents a golden opportunity for a real-life civics lesson.

This year's groundbreaking race, which will result in either the first African-American president or the first woman vice president, has captured the interest of students and teachers alike.

"It's amazing how interested the kids are. Obama has wide appeal and now with Sarah Palin, the kids are very interested in her too. The whole situation in Iraq and the economy also have their attention," said Jacobs High School social studies teacher Steve Stukenberg.

Local high schools are bringing the election into the classroom, with mock elections, candidate debates and an opportunity for students to candidly discuss issues that will impact them for years to come.

Some teachers are even planning trips to Washington D.C. for the inauguration in January.

"I've been in love with history my entire life and this is a once in a lifetime chance to see history being made," said Grant Dixon, 16, a junior at Jacobs who has signed up for his school's trip.

"It's a ready application to learn about the candidates, get informed and actually use that knowledge to make an impact," said Mike Smalley, head of the social studies department at Crystal Lake Central High School.

Pasco's students began studying the election at the beginning of the school year. One of their first tasks was to choose who would portray Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin. Prospective candidates made speeches to their classmates, who voted on the winners. Then Pasco assigned numerous supporting roles, such as rally chairmen, pollsters and researchers. Students learned the candidates' positions on five major issues: the economy, health care, foreign policy, immigration and the environment.

One Current Issues class represents the Republican Party, another represents the Democratic Party.

Each class filmed a campaign commercial for their candidates, which Pasco planned to show before a live debate before the student body on Oct. 21.

Huntley's schoolwide election is Oct. 28. A recent poll of Pasco's U.S. History students revealed 58 percent support Obama, 27 support McCain. The remainder were either undecided or supported neither candidate.

At Crystal Lake Central High School, a similar project is under way for all of the social studies classes involving freshmen through seniors, said Smalley.

Central's AP U.S. History class is responsible for researching the candidates' positions and writing editorials. Students in the U.S. History class are creating posters on domestic policies, Global studies is promoting foreign policy. Students from the Current Issues class will portray the candidates and hold a debate in the school's auditorium on Oct. 28. Voter registration, publicity and the election are the responsibility of the U.S. History, Modern World and Ancient Civilization classes.

"It was kind of tough to figure out how to get Ancient Civilization involved," said Smalley.

Sociology students will handle election-day polling and compile results and statistics that will be released the following day. Central's schoolwide presidential election will take place Nov. 3, the day before the real one.

The reason, Smalley said, is so that students can know how the results of their election compare to the nations. The school is also a polling place and is prohibited from displaying posters or other materials on Election Day.

While the mock elections provide a voice for students too young for the real thing, they've also helped new voters become more informed.

Huntley student Amanda Bernardin, 18 had not planned to vote because she felt she did not know enough about either candidate. But after researching John McCain's foreign policy positions, she changed her mind.

"I started to pay more attention to both candidates and what their views are. McCain plans to keep the troops in Iraq and I don't agree with that," she said.

Her classmate Jessica Briguglio, 18, did plan to vote, but the class study helped her clarify each candidate's position on abortion, an issue she cares strongly about. She feels she's also become a shrewder judge of relevant information. "People were talking about whether John McCain had Botox injections. Why is that even an issue?" she said.

To make her students think objectively, Pasco assigned the roles of the candidates to students with opposite political views.

"I didn't want them to be so emotionally connected to their candidate that they couldn't be objective," she explained.

Portraying vice presidential candidate Joe Biden provided a new perspective for junior Marcus Popenfoose.

"It opened my view point. I still support McCain, but I found there were some things from the (Democratic) side I agreed with," he said.

In Steve Stukenberg's AP Government class at Jacobs, students learned where they and their classmates stand.

"Debate is an art form and they need to be able to back up their feelings. But while I want them to talk freely, they also know that they must never be disrespectful. I think they've done very well," he said.

An almost equal number of Republicans and Democrats made for very passionate debates. Sophomore Stephen Lenzini describes himself as a Republican and says the most important issues to him are the economy and national security.

"It's good to have a class like this to take in the difference stances on issues," he said.

Sophomore Kayla Lott, who is black, is excited to have both an African American and a woman on the ticket.

She considers herself an Independent, but said, "My views lean more toward Barack Obama. I enjoy hearing Sarah Palin speak, but I don't really agree with her."