Upper School History Department Chair Dr. Julie Kimmel and the entire US history department led an amazing “Democracy Day,” Democracy and Elections Assembly Workshops at GA. Students have been learning about essential elements of a healthy democracy in their history classes this fall, including freedom of expression, free and fair elections, and separation of power. During Democracy Day, each student attended one of 28 discussions or panels about democracy, government, and elections, exposing them to current topics related to our government and the upcoming election and engaging in conversations such as the executive branch's role, understanding polls and polling data, and even democracy on Broadway.

“Our Upper School faculty went above and beyond in putting together a cross-disciplinary set of workshops to promote this shared value,” said Dr. Kimmel. “I was beyond inspired and impressed by the work of my colleagues, work that was not required of them but that served our school. Students indicated that the workshops were overwhelmingly well-received, making the extra work from every discipline achieve the desired effect.” 

While many sessions were led by our incredible faculty and students, we were joined by several special guest speakers:

John Galloway P’22 ’27 - The Role of the Executive Branch: Why It Matters Who is President - Galloway tested attendees’ knowledge of the role of the Executive Branch and shared what he learned as an advisor to a former President.
Scott Badami P’22 ’26 - Democracy at the Local Level: Running for and Serving in Local Government - Who runs our local towns? Why does it matter? How do people get a say in town government? Badami and GA Director of Technology Grace Judge shared about their roles in local government. 
Eric Lipton ’83 - Power, Politics, and the Press - GA seniors joined Lipton, a New York Times Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, for a moderated discussion about the power of the press within America’s political system.
Erin O’Hearn Paone P’27 ’29 ’31 and TaRhonda Thomas P’26 ’27 - The Role of Journalism Within a (Healthy) Democracy - The student editorial board of GA’s student newspaper, The Edition, as well as other interested students joined television network anchors/reporters O’Hearn and Thomas for a moderated discussion about the evolving role of journalism in supporting a healthy democracy. Both journalists have experience working in the Philadelphia area which provides an opportunity to look at this question from a local, metropolitan perspective. 
Judy Cody P’13 ’17 ’15 ’19 - Election Integrity: How Local Officials Work to Keep Elections Secure - Students learned about common myths and facts about voting in Pennsylvania. Cody, Doylestown Township Judge of Elections, broke down the many steps that keep our elections secure. 

Additionally, GA students from Bob Moyer 1760’s Power and Politics class had the opportunity to lead panel discussions or interactive sessions with their peers. 

Election 2024: Comparing Candidates on US Foreign Policy in the Middle East - Seniors Sophia DeCardona, Ishaan Paladugu, Gavin Zivitz, and Roy Zhao presented a comparison of the candidates and engaged in topics of foreign policy.

Philadelphia Politics: The Battle over the Proposed Sixers Arena - What is the role of citizens and elected officials in determining where pro sports teams can build? Seniors  Eddie McGettigan and Helen Liang led student discussion about the controversy over the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers’ proposed new arena and explained the role of voters and local government in this decision.

“For our students, the Democracy and Elections Assembly culminated a month in which we leaned into this election as a teaching tool,” said Head of Upper School Dave Samson. “We started with empathy interviewing, where every student interviewed another member of their House to learn about their values and what they think of leadership. We used empathy interviewing as a way to build connections and practice civil discourse, and to give our student body the time and the skills to practice what it means to be part of a healthy civic culture. Then, our students and faculty did a great job using the Democracy Day event as an opportunity to hear from various GA community members about thinking critically and better understanding the world around them.”

Using GA’s Community Commitments as a strong foundation for civic engagement, Democracy Day was a huge success. CLICK HERE for the Smugmug Gallery.