Newtowne Gets Out the Vote

With the impending United States elections taking place in the Fall of 2020, Newtowne students had been thinking about what it means to vote and how voting works.

The Green Dragonflies voted on what to turn an ENORMOUS box into. 
The Blue Otters voted on where to go on their adventure day walks. 
The Purple Fish voted on which pumpkin should be carved.  
The Orange Sea Stars voted on their favorite truck.  

As children gained familiarity with the process of casting and counting votes, the US elections drew closer. One Monday, the day before Election Day, Newtowne School students found some information waiting for them at arrival. Armed with information about the choices, they went home and weighed the options with their friends and families, excited for the opportunity to participate in this democratic practice and be engaged in the decision about their playground. 

On Tuesday, Election Day, the line was abuzz with excitement about the vote!  Children marked their ballots with their decision and dropped it in the Newtowne School ballot box.

Unbelievably, at the end of the day - even after a couple of recounts - the vote was tied! Everyone left school still wondering what the shape of the garden bed would be. But when Caitlin, the Director, opened up her email early on Wednesday morning, she discovered a final absentee ballot emailed by a 3-day/week student who was committed to doing her civic duty and ended up casting the vote that tipped the scales.  

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The Reggio Emilia approach originated in response to a facist government, by parents who believed that, through an empowering educational experience, their children would be equipped to better their society by making important, informed decisions on their own. Using this civic-minded lens, it was natural for Newtowne faculty to embed the concept of informed voting into the curriculum, aligned with the elections taking place in the larger society. Moreover, this activity helped build a collective sense of excitement and community at Newtowne. In the 50 years of its history, Newtowne School’s classrooms had never been as segregated as they were that Fall, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in the face of required social distancing, this opportunity gave Newtowne students, faculty, and parents the opportunity for connection that they had been craving.