Lower School Students Vote for Sunshine State Books

Alexis VerEecke (aka Mrs. V.), the ES/LS Library Media & Information Technology Specialist, spends time each year with Shorecrest students introducing books that are nominated for the Sunshine State Young Readers Award. This year, as a cross-curricular project combining language arts and civics, she arranged for the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections outreach team to come to campus and hold a mock vote for favorite Sunshine State Young Readers Award book (SSYRA Jr & SSYRA). 

Guided by Voter Outreach Manager Sasha Perez-Book, Lower School classes visited the Ohana Community Room and reviewed the voting process. When students were asked what voting is, what a candidate is, what a ballot is, and other topical questions, it was clear from their answers that they had already learned about the process thoroughly in their classrooms. 

Using an age-appropriate parable about animals voting for a new leader for the Animal Kingdom, Ms. Perez-Book explained how a fair and secure election takes place.

Because voters need proper identification, students in third and fourth grade received an ID card along with their ballot. Students in Kindergarten through Second grade used their tracking brochure to show they were eligible to vote. This also helped them decide which book was their favorite. They were told they could only vote for one out of all their favorite books. Students each completed a ballot that was scanned by an optical scanner. Then they received an “I Voted” and a “future voter” sticker.

After voting, Ms. Perez-Book asked the students how the mock election was different from a real election. They had great answers such as, “We voted on books not the President.” “There were a lot less people.” “We’re all under 18 years old.” “There was no mail-in ballot.” “There were no electoral college votes.”

In order to be able to vote, students were required to read at least three of the SSYRA books. For students in Kindergarten through second grade, Mrs. V read five books aloud in Haskell Library during library lessons, and the other five were presented by their teachers. The remaining five books are independent readers available to check out in the library. Students in third and fourth grade had to attempt a comprehension quiz to prove they had read each book. Lower School students also created “Wanted” or “Vote for Me” posters depicting their favorite books.

“Thank you Mrs.V for making this happen,” said Dr. Lisa Bianco, Head of Lower School. “It’s one small way to nurture our children’s democratic citizenship.”

The students learned about reading, voting, having a choice and sharing their voice. Thank you also to parent volunteers Tani Masvidal, Kelly Moore, Christina Yim for helping the day run smoothly!

More photos:

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