Elementary students make their vote count
While the national political scene consumes itself with scandals and smear campaigns during its busiest time of the year and voters try to decipher the rhetoric to make an informed choice, elementary school students in the Coeur d’Alene School District had a choice of their own to make – Pete Pizza, Heddi Spaghetti, Sally Salad, Ricky Chicken or Rocco Taco.
Call it cafeteria-style democracy.
The five entrees were competing for the honor of being served for lunch on Nov. 7 – the real Election Day for those 18 and older. Students in each of the district’s 10 elementary schools on Oct. 13 voted for their favorite of the five, with Pete Pizza prevailing.
“Hopefully they learned that their vote does matter,” said Ed Ducar, food service director in the Coeur d’Alene School District.
The election coincided with National School Lunch Week. Students across the nation cast their votes for one of the five food items, with Pete Pizza the runaway winner, garnering 42 percent of the vote nationwide in the five-way race.
Ducar spent the noon hour on Oct. 13 at Dalton Elementary, dressed in an Uncle Sam costume and handing “voting is cool” stickers to students after they dropped their completed ballot in the locked box.
“If you don’t vote then you can’t complain which won, right?” Ducar asked students as they dropped off their ballots.
“Go home and tell Mom and Dad you voted today,” he continued.
The five dishes were served on consecutive
days that week to give kids a chance to get to know the candidates. Students weren’t allowed to vote until after they ate, giving them a chance to sample the final dish, Ricky Chicken, or at least hear reports from classmates about the quality while they munched on something from home.
“There’s a lot of energy in here today,” said Dalton kitchen manager Brenda Soderling. “They’re excited to know that their vote counts.”
“I voted for spaghetti!” one girl announced.
But early returns and random questioning of voters showed Pete Pizza in the lead from the start.
“I think pizza’s gonna win,” predicted second-grader Aeva Schrambach.
A spooky good time
The public is invited to the Lakes Middle School Fall Carnival and Haunted House next Saturday from 5:30 until 9 p.m. at Lakes Middle School. A spaghetti dinner will be served from 5:30 to 7, and a haunted house will be open from 6 to 8:30. Carnival booths and games will be open the whole night. Dinner costs $3 for adults and $2 for students.
In its fourth year, the carnival is meant to provide a safe and fun way for Lakes students and their families to celebrate Halloween.
“It’s a real fun night,” said Sharon Seckler, office manager at Lakes.
Playwright spotlight
Professional actors offered a glimpse into the minds of young teens at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal School last week when they performed readings, one-act plays and monologues written by students from the school in DeSmet on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation.
Actors from the Los Angeles-based Mentor Artists Playwrights Project read the works of nine students who had participated in a series of playwriting workshops. The workshops were a part of the project’s Young Native Playwrights Program.
The student playwrights were Gina DeLorme, Phillip Falcon, Armondo Garcia, Sophia George, Keisha SiJohn, Kelsey SiJohn, Patrick Thomas, Esaias Vassar, and Jasmine Weems.
“They created a character profile and then they created a conflict for that character, and the monologue they wrote addressed that conflict and tried to find a solution,” program director Myra Donnelley said. The plays were performed at the tribal school and in Spokane at the Museum of Arts and Culture. The performance actors were RedRunningbear Savage, Leilani Chan and Zilah Mendoza.
The group hopes to return next year and help tribal school students create two-person plays.