BOULDER, Colo. While they're not old enough to vote yet, students at Boulder Country Day School will be casting their vote in a guinea pig election on Tuesday.
The fourth graders were the masterminds behind the campaigns for Sneffels and Belford, creating slogans and posters to line the halls.
"They've been making campaign posters and putting them all over the school, and creating stories as well, creative writing stories about the guinea pigs that want to be president and where they're going with their travels to the White House," Boulder Country Day School fourth grade teacher Amanda Demler said.
Learning the election process began at the start of this school year. Students have learned about the Electoral College and campaign strategy, even bringing the guinea pigs to other classrooms for campaign stops.
"We figured out to get to our Electoral College, the votes to 270, is you have to win either three houses in the preschool, the middle school, and then the bottom elementary floor and the top elementary floor and the staff. So its broken down into five families," Demler explained.
A group of fourth graders have deemed themselves as the Secret Service of the guinea pigs, carrying around decoys and making an Air Force One plane to transport Sneffles and Belford.
Fourth grader Caston, the head of this special Secret Service, explained why these visits were important during the campaign.
"Other classes can scout the candidates before voting, so they know what their character traits are and know a lot about them," he said.
Many students were decked out on Monday, wearing pins and t-shirts with the candidate they were voting for.
"So you get to choose your guinea pig just like a normal election. I wanted to vote for Belford first and then I was like, 'Hmm, lets do Sneffels,'" fourth grader Maggie said.
These fourth graders have not only been hard at work on these posters and campaigning to other grade levels but also in creating polling stations for students and faculty to use to cast their ballot on Election Day.
As the excitement for Election Day grows, the meaning behind this activity is one that Demler hopes will be with them for years to come.
"We just discussed that as a class too, where they will eventually be 18 and be able to vote and express their right to vote," explained Demler. "They are [learning] how it is important to get out and vote"
Link to original article