SIB Students Learn from Historic Election

By Jeanette Gatto, Vice Mayor

(Tuesday, December 6, 2016) – Every 4 years the Miami-Dade School Board, through the Department of Social Sciences, conducts a mock election for the Presidency of the United States. The mock election is actually the culmination of several weeks of studies where students learn about the electoral process, and it is a great way to encourage them to become responsible and informed citizens.

This year our NSE/SIB K-8 students had the opportunity to place their vote for one of two “firsts”. Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. Secretary of State, is the nations first female presidential candidate. Donald J. Trump a businessman is the nations first presidential candidate with no prior political experience. The City Commission was invited to our school to speak to the students and see how the mock election was conducted. I had the pleasure of speaking to a class of 1st graders who were incredibly enthusiastic. The students voted using a computer system set up in the hallway of each floor. After the students made their choice they were given “I Voted Today” cards. The results of the mock election by our students showed Hillary Clinton receiving 376 votes and Donal Trump receiving 159 votes. It is interesting to see how the real presidential election differed from our students results.