Election Week: Voting Matters to DS

“Voting is an essential call to action for every citizen in our country. Voting with a sense of empathy for ALL members of our community will ensure that the next iteration of our world is better than the last!” – Mr. Stodghill, Head of School

When Mr. Stodghill addressed the school on Monday morning, he spoke of the seriousness and the importance of voting, but in the same breath, the importance of being empathetic. To put ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors, far and wide. To consider the world, before we consider our own actions. These words resonated all week with our entire DS community.

Alumnus Jack Rosen ‘12, a voter engagement specialist with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) was interviewed in a great piece put out by Medical News Today this week on the importance of what “healthy voting” means to individuals with disabilities.

So, healthy voting is both feeling a part of the community,” Rosen said, “and having the chance to have a say in the policies that will have a direct impact on the health of individuals with disabilities.”

Jack’s work with NDRN is to “increases the participation of voters with disabilities in the democratic process through non-partisan messaging.” We couldn’t be more proud of his work, the message, and the significance of creating healthy voting measures for all. For the full piece, click here:https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/us-election-2020-what-does-healthy-voting-mean-for-people-with-disabilities?fbclid=IwAR0Zz93lYeegil7EE_8E7eEqBs4S6yQoW7ZZML11IYvVr4ozMQR4CNIWgKk

For our faculty, staff, and classes 2021-2026, we gathered to discuss the candidates running. Students presented the candidates in a forum, providing information on the platform of the candidates, and they were fair, honest, and provided a background of information so that all could return to their “voting place” (a survey link) and cast their vote. Over 137 were collected and the results posted by the end of day to let all the voters know who won “the election”. We couldn’t be more proud of our students for taking it so seriously, for participating, for advocating, and for doing the research during our DS Election Week.

In the lower school, students learned about the voting process. What better way to teach the importance of voting, than with the naming of the class fish? Doane Stuart Kindergarten and first-grade students nominated three names for their new Betta fish. Then they took to the hallways, rallying the students and faculty behind the names they loved the most and wanted. Back in the classroom, they learned how to correctly fill out a ballot, and why it was important in line to be patient, quiet, and to respect other voters. We even had an online nester cast their vote from home, allowing the young ones to learn about absentee voting. It was such a fun experience. We were all on the edge of our seats when Mr. S. read the results and the room erupted into cheers when we learned that our fish’s name was Speedy.