StC News

The Value of Civic Engagement

Middle School students hear from a Virginia election official via Zoom.
Our Middle School boys are too young to vote, but it's never too early to discuss the value of civic engagement. Last week, a group of eighth grade students heard from Virginia Commissioner of Elections, Christopher Piper.

In a Zoom call, Piper led the boys in a lively discussion about the safety of elections, the variety of ways to cast a ballot and how to register to vote. 

Wally Jones '25 felt reassured about the measures taken to ensure the safety and integrity of mail-in voting this year. "Everything they do to make sure that every vote is counted sounded really well-monitored," said Jones.

Because this is an election year, this group has been interweaving civics and government discussions into their regular curriculum. These Middle School boys are learning not only about the procedures and history surrounding the electoral process, but why it's important for everyone to participate.

For Ben Smith '25, the talk reinforced how he felt about the importance of civic engagement, and he was impressed by the different ways citizens can make themselves heard, including early voting and absentee ballots. "A democracy doesn't work if no one votes," said Smith. "There are so many different ways to vote, so there's almost no excuse not to."
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