trevordayschool

Trevor's third-party candidate won by a landslide, capturing 209 individual votes and 18 electoral votes. As more student-made video updates rolled into every classroom, cheers reverberated throughout the building. e students had spoken, and their voices were heard. Trevor's quadrennial election project is a beloved curricular tradition that serves many purposes. Students gain a deep understanding of the election process and are better prepared to thoughtfully engage in the next election that they encounter, whether it be for a dragon mascot, student council, or president. Ms. Fishman notes, "We are educating future voters who will understand the process enough to take part and to know why it matters." And she assesses how well these lessons have been learned when she sees students explaining them to other grades. "When 5th graders go into any age classroom and explain an election to a new group of students, it's clear they truly grasp the content and understand it on a deep level." Today, Sunny humbly serves from his lobby perch, where he greets the Lower School every morning and represents Trevor's community with pride. As for the students, they felt especially accomplished this year, having overcome what they deemed an untenable situation and created a viable and positive alternative. ey have the necessary tools to determine their future leaders—or better yet, become our future leaders. n 0 9 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 "Alex-4-All, All-4-Alex" "Just Jamie Can!" With a new knowledge base about third-party candidates, four 5th-grade students wasted no time in developing an action plan. Known as "AANT," Anthony B., Adrian G., Neil W., and Ted J. asked to borrow Sunfury (aka Sunny), the big- pawed dragon who sits at the front desk in the 88th Street lobby. ey introduced Sunny into the election as a third- party, write-in candidate. e Mascot Commission on Dragon Debates granted this unusual request because of the students' overwhelming enthusiasm for Sunny. And, so it began: A third-party candidate campaigned the halls of Trevor, and his popularity caught on like wildfire! Sunny denounced his opponents' promises as impossible, and declared their actions unbecoming of a candidate. He campaigned as the community-minded, every-dragon candidate. Because the lobby is his home, he claimed to know every child, parent, and faculty member, and he vowed to be a friend and mentor to all students. He also made more realistic promises than his opponents, to build a roof garden and playground for all to enjoy. Election Day came, and students proudly wore their "I voted today" stickers alongside many of their parents' stickers from the presidential election. Each class had a set time to go to the auditorium and cast their ballots, aided by 5th-grade students. e votes worked the same way as the electoral college—each classroom was assigned a number of electoral votes that would be awarded to the majority winner in that class. ough rarely seen in American elections, Opposite page left: 5th graders Adrian G., Neil W., Anthony B.—the "voice" of Sunny and holding him—and Ted J.; Opposite page, right: Kindergarten students Tali R. and Sawyer F. proudly display their signed voter registration forms.; is page, left top: Using the voting booth built by a fellow Kindergarten student, Mia K. casts her vote, assisted by 5th graders Sam B., Harry B., and Ella D. Ms. Miller lends a hand, too.; is page, above: 5th grader Iliana T. explains the registration process to Kindergartener Oliver A.; is page, bottom: e three candidates, with their respective mottoes. Sunny was like finding a light in the dark. —Anthony B. "It's a Sunny Day"

• Cover