FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KPR STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN ELECTION THROUGH ‘STUDENT VOTE’
Elementary and secondary students throughout the local public school board will once again learn about and practice democratic citizenship firsthand, through Student Vote Canada.
Schools across the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPR) will be participating in the national Student Vote initiative, leading up to the October 14 federal election. Participating schools run parallel election programs, giving students a hands-on, realistic look at the democratic process. Teachers lead students in non-partisan research, discussions and projects about the candidates, the platforms of each political party, and the issues involved.
Students even receive ballots and cast their votes for the candidate of their choice - just as if they were at official polling stations. Each participating school sends the results of its students’ votes to the Student Vote organization, which, in turn, releases the national student results to the news media.
"It’s never too early to start teaching our students the importance of active citizenship," notes Director of Education Sylvia Terpstra. "Student Vote offers secondary and elementary teachers yet another opportunity to impress upon students the rights and responsibilities that come with living in a democracy. We are doing what we can to help students acquire positive habits early, so that they become lifelong voters."
KPR schools are engaging in a variety of activities for Student Vote. Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute in Peterborough, for example, will play host to an all-candidates meeting October 1.
Meanwhile, all Cobourg District Collegiate Institute West students will have the opportunity to participate in a mock federal election in their homerooms during the week of October 6. Civics students will prepare unbiased posters about the candidates and their parties, conduct the vote, tabulate students’ votes, then post the tabulated results after October 14 so that students can compare their party choices by homeroom and grade.
At Brookside Secondary School in Cobourg, students were surveyed about their stances on certain issues. The students will receive information on the political parties’ platforms and participate in a mock election. Staff will then see if the students’ voting patterns matched their political preferences that were established at the beginning of the campaign.
Elementary students also will learn firsthand about the election process. At Enniskillen Public School, Grades 4/5 students are participating in Student Vote. The students will conduct their own mini-election within the school, and encourage their parents to vote on election day.
Grades 7-8 students at Dr. M.S. Hawkins Senior Public School in Port Hope will take part in classroom activities designed to replicate the real voting experience. They will be enumerated, receive registration cards, be assigned election roles such as poll clerks and deputy returning officers, and cast their ballots at in-school "polling stations" and "voting booths".
Meanwhile, at Queen Elizabeth Public School in Peterborough, Grade 5s already have been studying the federal government and election. They are putting the concepts into practice as they have a Grade 4/5 election for class leader, complete with campaign managers, brochures, speeches and polling stations.
Schools are continuing to register with the national Student Vote program through next week. Forty-one KPR schools participated in the last Student Vote initiative, the October 2007 provincial election.
For details about the Canada-wide Student Vote program, please visit www.studentvote.ca
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For information, please call:
Judy Malfara, Communications Officer - School Liaison, at 705-742-9773 or toll-free at 877-741-4577, ext. 2001
