Election Time!

This fall our Grade 4/5 classes have been studying the democratic ideals in Canadian society.  This has included looking at citizen participation in government, identifying elected government leaders at the various levels of government and determining the different ways that governments help people meet their needs.  To culminate their study, students participated in two hands on activities.

The first was a mock election where students worked with peers to form four different political parties, each made up of student members from all classrooms.  Next they elected leaders and discussed ways that they could make a difference in our school community.  These ideas formed the platform for their election. 

A rally was held and each party shared their ideas with the electorate. 

The second activity was called Student Vote.  Student Vote’s website describes the event as “a parallel election for students under the voting age, coinciding with federal, provincial, territorial and municipal elections.  The purpose is to provide young Canadians with an opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand and build the habits of informed and engaged citizenship.”

During their study of government our students had an opportunity to learn about the actual candidates running in their home riding of Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia.  Then stood in line at the polls and cast their vote on Student Vote ballots.

We are proud of our active democratic citizens!