It was an election filled with almost all the trappings of a national poll held anywhere in the Caribbean. The only thing missing and thankfully so was the negative features that have become so prevalent when the adults in society are engaged in the electoral process.
Specific opening and closing times were established for all polling stations which were supervised by parents and teachers. Students were required to place their ballots in the officially designated ballot boxes, under the watchful eyes of the staff at the polling stations.
Students were also required to present Voter IDs, (not too sure if with finger prints though…just kidding), which were checked against the Voters List, to ensure that only qualified members were participating in the exercise.
Adequate time was allocated for each class, to allow their students to head to the polls to help determine the new executive members who are to run the affairs of the two student government bodies that have been established separately for the primary and secondary levels.
Speaking to the Business & Development Manager of the school, Krista James, she told MiyVue.com that the exercise was also a lesson in civics, as the children are being exposed to the entire voting process.
She stated that the weeks leading up to polling day, the students were educated about the electoral process and students were given the opportunity to announce their candidacy. Posters and other paraphernalia were displayed at various locations in the school, while candidates used the occasion to deliver campaign speeches.
She added that prior to the school-wide poll the individual classes had their own elections to select their class representatives to serve on the student council along with the other officers being voted for today.
James went on to explain that the student council will serve as a representative for the student body and will make their concerns known to the top officials of the institution during monthly meetings.
The Business & Development Manager indicated that the positions on the council for which students were vying, included, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Public Relations Officer.
It was a day of excitement for the hundreds of students as they participated in their local democratic process. The winners were scheduled to be announced on Friday afternoon during a concert to be held at the school.