School Braces For Election Divisions
Election season is right around the corner. And although news services, billboard renters, and advertisement outlets are probably having their year in the sun, many people at Athenian worry about the school community in the face of this massive event.
It appears to be a rematch between the Republican Party’s former president Donald Trump and the current president, Democrat Joe Biden. Polls show both to be the most hated politicians in the country in years, and the two are also the oldest major presidential candidates at 77 and 81, respectively.
It’s no secret that the 21st century has marked a period of increasing division among Americans. Bill Clinton’s controversial impeachment trial in 1998 acted as a harbinger for the alienation between Republicans and Democrats in the United States. However, these tensions have only grown during the Trump and Biden eras. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or a romantic partner, many have lost close relationships in the years since the 2016 election due to increased resentment between different sides. Those tensions are only expected to rise as the presidential election comes closer.
Athenian will almost certainly be hit with some of the dividing troubles of the season. Chris Crisolo, the Dean of Student Life at Athenian, said, “I worry students might treat it like engaging in a sports game. Like if you’re in a basketball game where fans are talking down to the other side and cheering for their own side and, you know, egging on the other side for losing. The part I’m concerned about is students not engaging respectfully in dialogue and about the students not being able to listen to others’ opinions.” Since the election is taking place next fall, Chris said, “we [the leaders of Athenian] haven’t fleshed out a plan yet”.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t efforts being made to reduce these political troubles already. History teacher Marty Rubio is the leader of the Political Inclusion Club, a club that he said “gives a voice to students who don’t feel represented in classroom discourse” and serves as “a place for students of any background to come in and feel safe talking about issues and expressing their views” without the threat of anger directed at them or cancellation. “It’s best to hear views that challenge our own,” said Marty, which inspired him to take leadership of the club as a way to make sure no one feels left out at Athenian. The club, which emerged during the Trump era, holds student-to-student dialogues on political topics and helps students who feel politically alienated. “Stay passionate, and be respectful,” Marty tells the students as the presidential election approaches.
School leaders have continued to recommend unity during election season, promoting nonpartisanship to let everyone feel unified in a liberal-majority community. And though it’s not the thick of the election yet, the school is already being forced to tackle hot-button issues such as the war in Gaza. Chris thinks that students play a big part in reducing division. “To fully understand politics, we have to hear each other's positions, and if we hear each other’s positions, we don’t necessarily have to agree, but we can really just try to understand where they’re coming from and respect it,” said Chris.
