Students engage in ‘remarkable’ classroom conversations during unit on elections, democracy
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
Voters queued for hours at polling places around Montana today, and possibly none were as rowdy or jubilant as those waiting their turn at the Ophir Elementary School gymnasium.
Big Sky students from kindergarten to fifth grade participated in a 2024 mock election, with the majority of students casting their ballots during 45 hectic minutes on Election Day, just like their parents but with a bit more dancing and shouting.
Fourth- and fifth-graders voted early on Monday so they could volunteer on Tuesday, serving as impartial ballot assistants to help the youngsters read and properly fill out their ballots. Kindergarten through second grade students completed shorter ballots showing only the presidential candidates, while the older kids also selected a U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative and Montana Governor.
Students then touched a historical artifact, placing completed ballots in a once-official Gallatin County ballot box. It’s a relic from the days when Ophir School was Big Sky’s local polling place, according to Ophir Principal Brittany Shirley.
Voters were rewarded with an “I voted” sticker, handed out by a pair of helpers who coined a “catch phrase” and proudly repeated it with gusto.
“You want a sticker? You get a sticker,” the boys shouted.
“If we can’t do this with kids, who is going to? We’re the school, we should be able to present the opportunity and do it in an unbiased way.”
Brittany Shirley, principal
Educators like third grade teacher Suzie Klein have been covering the history and processes of American elections, discussing democracy and the traits of responsible citizens—all part of Ophir’s first “unit of inquiry” of the 2024-25 school year. Klein said Ophir Elementary has done mock elections in the past, but this may have been the first school-wide election.
“Obviously give an unbiased approach, let the kids make their own decisions based on the facts,” Klein explained. “It’s been a ton of fun.”
The goal is for students to understand that their voice is their choice, and that democracy gives everybody a say. They made “baby steps” before Tuesday’s general election, voting on topics like favorite lunch or favorite sport.
But things became serious as Nov. 5 approached. Students would need to vote on decisions with more polarity and weight.
Shirley said there was “some trepidation” from some people about the idea of a school-led mock election, but they forged ahead for one important reason.
“If we can’t do this with kids, who is going to? We’re the school, we should be able to present the opportunity and do it in an unbiased way,” Shirley said.
Furthermore, American kids have been absorbing a lot in the weeks and months leading up to the general election—campaigns and PACs will spend $16 billion to influence presidential and congressional races around the country, making 2024 the most expensive election season in history, including more than $255 million in the Montana race between incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and challenger Tim Sheehy.
Klein said kids are hearing a lot of conflicting messages from campaigns through various forms of media. “You really have to sift through things and understand the facts,” she said. “We’ve been really approaching this with a fact-based approach.”
Klein has seen young students engaging in “remarkable” conversations that they may not normally focus on, given their age. Shirley agreed, and said the staff is leaning in, teaching students that they may have different opinions, but they can still have a respectful discussion.
Shirley said many parents have shared that the elections unit has also spurred interesting conversations at home. “I think it’s a neat way to engage our school community, and have that bridge to home, too,” she said.
After collecting dozens of ballots, the teachers calmed the raucous crowd. Shirley spoke to attentive students, thanking them for their vote.
“The really cool thing about the election process and the way we count ballots is, you can tell all of these ballots are going into a voting box, right? A ballot box,” Shirley said. “Did you notice what’s on the top?”
“A lock,” a few kids shouted in response. Shirley emphasized that every student only got to vote once, and that the staff will tally their votes shortly.
“And you can have confidence in the security of the election process, because—and this is the same for your parents who might be going out to vote today… it’s not connected to the internet,” Shirley said, explaining that nobody can interfere with the results by hacking.
In the coming hours, the nation will learn the results from hundreds of races. The victors will be broadcast loud, wide and fast across the world. But for the electorate of Ophir Elementary School, they’ll need to check the bulletin board for the hand-counted tally of their votes.
