Carmel students take field trip to cast votes

Several dozen Carmel Catholic High School students took a step into democracy Oct. 25 by voting for the first time.

Chaperoned by civics teacher Jack Waddle, 23 students from the Mundelein school crowded the polling place at the Lake County Central Permit Facility in Libertyville to cast early ballots for the Nov. 8 general election.

"I'm really thrilled that I'm doing this. One of my goals is to make my students better citizens," said Waddle, who enjoyed this second experience leading a field trip of first-time voters. The first came when several dozen Carmel Catholic teens cast their vote in the 2020 presidential election.

"It's a common misconception that young people don't care, but they do," said Waddle. "Encouraging them to vote and getting them out when they're young is vitally important for the future of our country."

For Waddle, it's mostly about asking his students to be informed, not only as voters but as citizens in general.

"Yes, voting is important, but not if you don't know anything," Waddle said. "For me, in my classes, we always talk about current events and spend the first five or 10 minutes discussing what their friends are talking about news-wise, what they're hearing at home and talking about with their parents around the dinner table. It gets them to care about the news, to pay attention and to become even more informed voters."

As the students waited their turn in line, you could sense the excitement that was in the air.

"I thought it was going to be a long, dragged-out process, but it was actually much easier than I had thought it was going to be," said senior Nicholas Kolsar, who was among the first Carmel Catholic students to vote.

"My parents were happy that I came here today. I don't necessarily agree with them on every issue, but they were definitely proud that I came to have my voice heard in a democracy."

For senior Madeline Nikolai, doing her advance homework was key for knowing who she was going to cast her ballot for.

"I did a lot of research on the candidates and the issues that they were talking about, so I didn't come in here blind," Nikolai said. "I'm really excited to be here. It's fun that we get to do this through the school because it's a very safe environment. I know a lot of people who turn 18 years old aren't ready to vote because it's a new experience and a legal one, too, so they're worried that they might mess it up. It was good that we had Mr. Waddle here helping us."

"Days like today are among my proudest as a teacher," Waddle said.

Before boarding the bus to head back to their Mundelein school, the students gathered for a photo in front of the facility to commemorate their step into democracy.

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