Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Holy Cross School in South Portland will hold a mock debate at the school this week that will include congressional and Maine legislative races, along with the statewide referendum questions.
Students were assigned a candidate or a referendum question set to appear on the ballot next week, and on Friday, Nov. 4, they will make their presentations and debate each other, showcasing their views of the upcoming election.
The students will also make predictions, based upon their analysis, as to how they think the general election will go.
“Even though they can’t cast their votes (yet), students at Holy Cross School want to be well-informed on the candidates and issues that will play a role in their futures,” the school said in a press release.
“The students are researching their candidate or topic and putting together a two-minute presentation aimed at convincing voters, in this case their fellow students, to support their cause,” said Bill Ridge, who teaches social studies at the school.
“The only guideline,” he said, “is that their presentations must focus on their candidate or position and be positive in nature. They may not speak negatively about the other side.”
Instead of focusing on the polarizing nature of partisan politics, the school’s approach to the general election has been from the perspective of a political scientist, according to Ridge. The students have also studied presidential elections from the past 25 years, along with the trends that impacted results.
“The students discovered that some states tend to vote one particular way or another with frequency while others may swing back and forth between parties,” Ridge said. “We have also done research on how polling is done during an election and how to read polls. (In addition), we have witnessed how events of the day move polls.”
Parents and community members are invited to attend the mock debates, which will be held starting at 1:20 p.m. Call 799-6661 for more information.
– Kate Irish Collins
Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Holy Cross School in South Portland will hold mock debates this week, which will cover Maine’s congressional and legislative races, along with the statewide referendum questions.
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