Election Day for most voters will take place Tuesday, but for the students of Ramsay Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant, the time for voting recently concluded with the selection of student council representatives for the 2014-15 school year.
After encouraging students to become more involved in the election process, Ramsay faculty members were pleased to see the number of students who took time at home to create campaign posters that were then displayed throughout the school's classrooms and hallways, according to instructor Kerry Mondock.
“The kids did a really, really good job with the posters this year,” she said. “They were very creative, and it was really great to see that they worked at home with their parents on this. It turned out to be a nice family project for many of the students, and we were happy to see the families working together.”
Ramsay student Garrett Eicher, 7, created posters with a parrot theme and handed out feathers to promote his candidacy.
“I came up with the idea,” Eicher said.
Fellow student Riley Czekaj, 10, made two posters she said she created with help from her mother Michele Czekaj.
“We sat down and talked about what we could do, and we wanted to come up with something that was catchy and had some new ideas,” Riley said. “We worked on the posters for a couple days, and we really enjoyed it.”
The students of the school selected one student from the second, third and fourth grades, and two from the fifth and sixth grades.
Teacher Mary Ann Bauer said there were a few ties so the final number for this year's student council will be 26.
“They did a great job on the posters and made so many different ones of all sizes,” Bauer said.
The student council elections have been held at the elementary now for several years.
Principal Lance Benteler said it's important for students to understand the importance of voting and holding elections.
“They need to realize that they are voting for the students who will be representing their classes for the year,” Benteler said. “They get to have a say in who they want for their leader, and they get to decide who their representatives will be. It gives them a voice as students.”
Bauer said she was thrilled to hear several of the students who were not selected as representatives still wish to take an active part in events and programs hosted by the council.
“I think it's wonderful to hear that these kids still want to help, and we will make sure that they are able to take part in what we do,” she said.
The new student council will soon begin its monthly service projects, which will continue each month for the remainder of the school year.
Marilyn Forbes is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
