At its very best, politics allow us to connect with others, lessening the feeling of isolation possible in a country of 330 million. The act of voting encourages the sense of living within a shared social contract, as collectively we make decisions that shape our nation and affect us all. While we think it is important to teach students about the democratic process, we also think it is important to go beyond and to model just how important the right to vote truly is. In order to allow everyone to get to the polls, we will be having a half-day on Nov. 3rd. We believe actions speak louder than words and hope our students remember not just what we taught them in the classroom, but what we modeled. We want our students to know that nothing is more important than our right to vote.  

Students are exposed to and educated on civic responsibility at all grade levels at GUS, but perhaps most profoundly in their 7th and 8th grade years. Grade 7 Social Studies Teacher, Dr. Draper, and Grade 8 Humanities Teacher, Mr. Bartsch come at the topic from different angles, but the message is the same: voting is not only a right, but also a duty and privilege. 

Seventh grade students begin the year with a study of their own learning and personality preferences, taking a variety of assessments to find clues about who they are -- only to find they don’t fit neatly into any of the boxes. Each is unique. The seventh grade theme, “Who Am I?”, is appropriate, particularly for students navigating a time in their lives that can be quite confusing - one that social studies doesn’t always make any clearer. Their study of human rights teaches them about the fundamental rights afforded to all human beings. They learn that every nation on earth has agreed to protect these rights -- only to find that every nation falls short. They discover that far too many people are not free, do not have nutritious food or clean water, have no safe place to live, are discriminated against, and that our own nation is no exception. At this point, students sometimes find themselves disheartened and disillusioned, feeling helpless. What can they do? So we explore the power of advocacy. Now is the time for these young people to begin a lifetime of using their voices for the betterment of others. The superpower of democracy is that “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government”. Here at GUS, students come to understand how citizenship, at its purest, is a combination of responsibilities, privileges, and obligations that bind us all together.

In 8th grade humanities, students look at the electoral process as a stable framework that encourages a responsive government. Voting is a method to control the corrupt or incompetent or unresponsive or avaricious politician. As they witness on the news, voting is also a system to resolve divergent views. In the two-party system, voting exists to create a balance between the participants, as well as to encourage participants to listen to each other and accept mutual recognition and tolerance of competing positions and policies.   Debate and discussion have a place, on tv, on the Senate floor, and in court rooms. While we may not all grow up to be president, we all have a part to play in our government, and voting affords us all that opportunity. Most significantly, voting encourages the faith and trust that citizens have in the institutions, traditions and shibboleths we honor. Ultimately, voting hews to the wish of Lincoln ‘that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth’.

So, if you can vote, VOTE! A half day on Nov. 3 will allow all GUS faculty and staff the opportunity to vote in what is expected to be a long day at the polls. We do this to send a message to our students. We encourage you to join us in demonstrating civic responsibility. Exercise your right to protect and advance the rights of others, and to act responsibly in our community and the world. Mean well - cherish the rights of every person; speak well - use your voice to speak up for yourself and others; and do well - VOTE!