This year, Voyagers and Pathfinders have been exploring what it means to be part of a community and how we each impact the world around us—both individually and collectively. In our second unit, the focus shifted to something that affects us all: elections. We’ve been learning not only the history of the election process, but also why being an informed voter is so important to our democracy.

On Wednesday, October 16th, we were fortunate to welcome Aliza Egeth from Team Zepher as a guest speaker. Aliza’s research on the Electoral College brought to light some of the system’s complexities and challenges. She walked both teams through how the Electoral College works, and even highlighted times in history when it didn’t align with the popular vote—the choice of the majority of voters. This sparked great discussion among our fifth and sixth graders, who were eager to understand more about how elections shape our country.

Thanks to Aliza’s presentation, students now have a clearer picture of why the Electoral College exists and how it functions in presidential elections. Our classes had been diving into these topics through reading The Complete Kid’s Guide to Elections and discussions, but hearing real-world examples and moments when the system didn’t match the popular vote made things click on a new level.

As we gear up for the November 5th election and the historic vote for the 47th President of the United States, our students are more prepared than ever to follow the results closely. They’ve gained valuable insight into how the election process works and why each vote truly matters. More importantly, they understand that being an informed voter is a key part of making a difference—not just in their own lives, but in their communities and our country.

Voyagers and Pathfinders are learning that the future belongs to those who are ready to engage with it. And in this unit, they’ve taken another big step in understanding their role as future voters.