This year’s Classic was especially competitive with first place honors going to an all-woman’s team that carded a 14 under par 58 in this scramble format. Tied after 18 holes, “Clarice’s Crew” held off “Coaches + 2” in a one-hole playoff to garner the day’s top honors. Regardless of their score, each team delighted in receiving a prize donated by local merchants and awarded at the luncheon following play.

Special honors awarded for longest drive and closest to the pin went to local golfers Heather Mathison, Kelsi Evans and Tom Taylor, Kristin Kiefer and Dr. Sam McConkey. As in previous years, these golfers received gifts provided by the Alaskan Congressional delegation of Senator Begich, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young. An unofficial award went to the mischievous red fox that roamed the second fairway for it success in capturing bright colored balls, much to the amusement of the golfers involved.

The tournament was originally established to celebrate and promote the Kids Voting program, which has become a mainstay in our local school district. In parallel fashion, participating golfers were invited to vote on various ideas and issues as they stepped on to each successive tee box. A sampling of these voting results found that Annika Sorrestam is our golfers favorite women’s golfer, crab the most desired Alaskan seafood, and voting as the most effective methods to influence government policy.

The last element making this Classic one to remember was the participation of past coordinators Gene Redden and George Roderick, the founder of the event.

Next year’s event promises to bring the same level of good-natured competition in support of our long-established Kids Voting program.

Working with the American Government teachers from Ben Eielson, Lathrop, Monroe Catholic and West Valley High Schools, we developed a plan to focus on these seniors’ impending civic responsibilities.  More than just having a booth promoting and easing the registration process, teachers wanted a focused classroom presentation where instruction would highlight the importance of voting.   In this manner, voter registration would be viewed as a necessary first step in this process and not the end product of a local voter registration drive.   As Monroe High School teacher George Peterson stated, “One of the most valuable lessons a government teacher can present to his or her students is the importance of voting and getting them registered is a great first step on their journey to suffrage.“   Although several venues offer voter registration – online and at state offices — this represents the first-time, the process had been brought directly to the classroom and has engaged students in a compelling format.

As Kids Voting coordinator, I worked closely with involved teachers in developing an extensive lesson plan. Using the Kids Voting curriculum as a guide, we choose appropriate warm-up activities, a central lesson that spoke to the importance of using your voice in a democratic setting, (teachers chose different lessons) and a closure activity where we shared the State of Alaska election web site and registration forms.  This visit to the web site also highlighted information on absentee voting that will pertain to the many seniors who plan to attend college “outside”, the local term for sites out of Alaska.

In my role as Kids Voting coordinator, I traveled to each school, and teamed directly with the teachers to present the lessons. The teachers had prepared their class members for a guest speaker, and in each class, attentive students warmly welcomed me.  When the warm-up activity revealed that nearly 75% of their 18-25 demographic do not vote, they were startled, but felt challenged to improve upon that statistic. In the central part of the lesson, students participated eagerly because they wanted their voice heard.  By the closure of the lesson, students were eager to complete the voter registration process.  After the lesson, West Valley teacher Amy Gallaway appreciated . . . “that the voter registration drive enabled me to accomplish what I always wanted to do in class, break down barriers to voting.”

Subsequent to this classroom civics presentation, participating teachers received positive feedback from their students and from several parents who phoned to express their gratitude.  Tammy Brewer, a parent whose student participated in the drive, wrote Eielson teacher Liz Hursh,  “It’s so great that you took the time to encourage my son to register and to vote as a young adult. Thanks for giving him the opportunity to register. What a wonderful opportunity; he came home very excited about it!”

With the success of this initial effort, teachers hope to make this activity a yearly tradition.  Rather than leave this important responsibility to chance, students now are offered the opportunity to register to vote in a way that highlights the need for an informed electorate.  This culminating activity of the K-12 Kids Voting curriculum, short of an all –expense trip to Hawaii, represents the ultimate graduation gift.

Written by: Maida Buckley, Kids Voting Alaska Executive Director

In the novice division, winner Shahiba Bhattari, initially was unsure of what topic to research, but she knew she wanted to find out more about American history and her adopted country. One year and three months ago, she and her parents said good-bye to their native Nepal, and Shahiba started school at North Pole Elementary in North Pole, Alaska. When her teacher Mat Wade gave her the opportunity to choose any topic to research for her History Day project, she was inspired by the freedom afforded in the selection process. Initially, her research proceeded slowly until she discovered Susan B. Anthony. Shahiba was immediately drawn to Anthony’s confidence in the justness of women’s rights and her resulting demand for full equality. Shahiba’s exhibit, “Women’s Suffrage,” highlights Anthony’s groundbreaking efforts in initiating the long-enduring struggle for women’s enfranchisement.

In the junior division, Louieza Donellan and Marina Perez, best friends in Dwayne Eager’s 8th grade class at Ryan Middle School, chose to research the Women’s Movement. In choosing a topic, Louieza, who originally hails from the Philippines, and Marina, who was living previously in Puerto Rico, like Shahiba, wanted to learn more about their new home. In researching women’s history, the two friends were shocked to discover that at one time, women could not own property or have their own bank accounts. But, as edifying as studying about the women’s struggle for equality was, the greater lesson came as the two partners learned to work through disagreements and to accept each other’s views. Throughout this project, both students came to admire Susan B. Anthony’s courage and to understand the value of voting, a responsibility many Americans ignore or under value. As Marina emphatically stated during this interview, “I want to vote!”

At the high school level, Sara Nichols, a 15 year old sophomore in Sean Genson’s World History class at West Valley High School, captured the Senior Division’s Effective Citizenship award with her website that examines the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Initially, Sara came to choose her topic after randomly pulling a book off a cart supplied by the West Valley librarian Janet Madsen, who has played an integral role in assisting students during the research phase of their History Day projects. Once engaged, Sara’s research changed her thinking about voting in a profound way. Before, she took voting for granted. After, with a greater knowledge of the struggle African-Americans endured to earn the franchise during the civil rights movement, Sara understands the primacy of voting to the democratic experience.

The Effective Citizenship Award established by the Kids Voting Board two years ago has done much to coordinate the shared focus of both Kids Voting and National History Day. As seen in the accomplishments of the students receiving this award, this honor clearly illustrates an understanding of the role that each person plays in a democratic society and highlights the vital importance of each citizen exercising their duty to vote.