To kick off Election Day at John F. Kennedy Intermediate School, student government candidates running for the positions of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer stood at a patriotically dressed podium and presented their nomination speeches. The speeches, which were delivered in the gymnasium, festively decorated in red, white and blue for the occasion, brought an interactive element to the study of the election process that the intermediate school students had been learning.

In this fourth annual event, students organized and ran campaigns, designing posters and persuading classmates for their votes under the direction of student government advisors Ms. Ghiraldi and Ms. Lombardo.

“The students go through the entire process, simulating a real election,” said Ms. Ghiraldi of the student government campaign. “There is a primary election, students campaign around the school and deliver their self-written speeches to the school, and then the student body votes.”

Following the assembly, students returned to their classrooms to receive their ballots and place their votes. Upon their election, those in student government will convene once a month to plan for the upcoming year.

“We do a lot of fundraising—mostly to benefit the school, but also for charitable organizations,” stated Ms. Ghiraldi. “This year we are going to be focusing on raising money to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.”