Kids Call for a Vote in 5th grade!

Top, Melanie, middle, Isabella, Madison and Cassidii. Bottom Eric, Camya and Jayden. All were very motivated to work together for the common cause of a student election. Almost all students showed remarkable behavioral improvements in just 8 weeks. Many are hoping to get votes in the upcoming Rising Star election and some have opted to be campaign managers for others.

Kid Reporters put together an election for the Rising Star Awards again, creating promotions, campaigns, ballots and ballot boxes after school. A Rising Star is a student (they decided) who grew during the year by working through a productive struggle.

Fairness was at the top of the students’ concerns which meant they debated and voted on all major decisions and put aside their own desires for the sake of the group decision. And no electioneering the day of the election and no overt bribes (cupcakes given freely was okay, but money to buy votes and bullying was a no no). These are all rules the kids came up with. The kids decided that 4th graders should vote too since they would soon be 5th graders and they would be on the ballot next year. Adults were only facilitators. Kid Reporters worked for 8 weeks, peer-to-peer, after school to put together this election.

Communication is a huge part of any election. Posters were posted in the hallways so the whole school could see an election was underway.

Kid Reporters explained the election process to all 4th and 5th grade classes.

The results were announced to each classroom. Camya, Jaliyah and Robert had won.

Melanie announced the awards at Step Up. She started out by asking “How many of you voted?” The entire 5th grade raised their hands. All of the Kid Reporters shook the hands of the 3 award winners.

The students wrote and edited this 1 page article which was printed by the PTA and distributed to all 4th and 5th graders, as well as adults who attended Step Up graduation. It showcased the student election process and the work done by the Kid Reporters.