Fostering Civic Engagement in the Age of Division

“Govs is a community of people who have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we are stronger as individuals and as a community if we can share those differences with each other. In our discussions this fall we will seek to model how we can disagree with each other respectfully and in ways that allow us to create a sense of respect and belonging for all members of the Govs community. Helping people experience a sense of belonging is central to what makes the Govs community so strong,” said Head of School Dr. Peter H. Quimby ‘85, P’14 in his opening Chapel Talk this year.

Polite Political Discussions (PPD) returned to Govs this fall. The dozen event series served our community well through this contentious election season.

The history of PPD goes back to 2004 when History teacher Rod McLain P’07,’09 led a school-wide mock election. Throughout the fall, students played the role of the candidates—George W. Bush and John Kerry—and there was great engagement with and excitement about the election. Twelve years later in 2016, the presidential race between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton was full of politically charged rhetoric, and history faculty felt they needed to take a different approach to educating students about the election. “We had really active student political groups on both ends of the spectrum, so we tried out our first Polite Political Discussions series and it was well received in the community,” remembers History Department Chair Erin O’Connell.

After a break during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, PPD returned to Govs this fall—a time of increased polarization in the United States—intending to allow all in our community to hear from different points of view on important issues in this election cycle. O’Connell summarized the series' purpose by saying “The point of the series was that if you are going to have a truly educated American citizenry you have to understand both sides of a political issue.”

Like many initiatives at Govs, a group of student leaders were behind the initiative with O’Connell serving as their advisor. A committee of nine students began their planning last spring and met as a group weekly this fall. They promoted the PPD series through videos, Morning Meeting announcements, and social media, wrote introductions for guest speakers, and facilitated several conversations. ”If we are to progress as a country, and as a school, we need to get used to listening to and being willing to learn from one another,” said Tait Christensen ’25, a student leader.

The PPD series kicked off during the first week of school with a viewing of the presidential debate on September 10 in the Peter Marshall French Student Center and a discussion of the debate on September 12 in the Alfond Dining Hall. Later in September, Science Teacher Bert McLain P’07,’09 shared her research on the science behind diverse political opinions and a panel of students presented options for addressing school shootings and facilitated a discussion with attendees. During the first week of October, students once again gathered in the French Student Center to watch the vice presidential debate and discussed it later that week in the Alfond Dining Hall.

“I was particularly excited about the post-debate discussions. They provided the perfect platform for students to share their perspectives and engage in productive, friendly debate. I believe that every time we held an open panel discussion, everyone who attended had their horizons expanded, and left more politically and socially mindful because of it,” shared Christensen.

Later in October, two outside speakers visited campus: Jung Jae Kwon ’10, a PhD candidate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Political Science and Security Studies Program, spoke about nuclear security, deterrence, and security affairs in Asia, and Linda McGrath, a Republican candidate for the New Hampshire State House of Representatives, spoke about her position on key local issues. The following week, Gary Satow’s AP U.S. Government and Politics class presented and led a discussion about the Massachusetts ballot questions. They helped our community understand the complexities of the ballot questions about the MCAS, the minimum wage for restaurant workers, the unionization of rideshare drivers, and the legalization of psychedelic drugs. In addition to their work on the ballot questions, Satow’s class helped register all 45 eligible student voters for their first election!

An election night watch party on November 5 and an election debrief on November 7 wrapped up the PPD series. O'Connell moderated a conversation with colleagues from the history department about presidential election polling and the dynamics behind the red wave that swept the country. 

“The highlight of the series for me was when we brought in a speaker with views that differed from many of our students. We had nearly 80 people attend this event, and I was so impressed with the level of dialogue from our students both at the event and for the next several days,” said O’Connell. “Our students are bright and thoughtful. If we can get them to be interested in the political process at this age, then maybe they can do a better job of leading our country than our current leaders.”
 

Image: Jung Jae Kwon ’10 speaks to students in Frost Library