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A fifth-grade class at Overton Elementary School recently completed a real exercise in democracy. Class members Olivia Goss and Spencer Scarvey wrote the following article about it, Mariann Dandison took digital pictures and Nickola Bradshaw videotaped the students’ efforts, which students watched later.
On Oct. 27, a Friday Mrs. Bradley’s fifth-grade class at Overton Elementary School went into Mrs. Davis’ third-grade class prepared to teach them about voting. The reason was that they wanted third-grade classes to be abe to vote for Student Council officers.
The rule had been that you had to be in fourth or fifth grade to be allowed to vote. To be able to vote, the fifth-graders decided that the third-graders needed to know the history of voting and how to vote. After their lessons the third-graders would be prepared to protest the rule to the principal, Mrs. Edens.
The fifth graders did a great job of teaching the third-graders many different things about voting and the government. After the lesson the two classes discussed how they were going to stage their protest. They decided to make picket signs, give speeches, write letters and make a petition. The third- and fifth-graders divided up the jobs needed to convince Mrs. Edens to let the third grade vote this year.
The fifth-graders left that day feeling satisfied and confident. For almost a week both classes worked on picket signs and speeches. On the morning of Nov. 2, the two classes met again. This time they went over what to do during the protest that afternoon.
At around 1:30 that day they gathered together in the music room. They knew Mrs. Edens would be arriving shortly. When she arrived, patriotic music was being played. Eight students were prepared with speeches. One boy was holding an American flag. All the other children were holding picket signs.
They said things like, “Let third grade vote” and “Heck no, we won’t vote unless the third grade can.”
When Mrs. Edens entered, the first thing she said was, “Is this a protest?” Then the speeches began. Benton Whitaker, Sarah Mulholland, Alex Hudson, Darius Abel, Darius Robertson, Quinn Scarvey, David Edwards and Sassy Graham spoke.
Mrs. Edens was pleased and surprised. She said the “Supreme Court” at Overton School would need to meet and render a decision.
During morning announcements the next day, Mrs. Edens gave a history lesson to the school about small groups of people fighting for what they believed in, beginning with the Declaration of Independence and ending with the announcement that history had been made at Overton School.
Third-graders would be allowed to vote. Everyone was pleased that these two classes had made history at Overton Elementary.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, third-graders cast their votes for Student Council Officers for the very first time.
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