The U.S. presidential election may be one of the most highly anticipated events in the world. As candidates and voters alike hold their breaths, the votes are tallied to decide who will lead the American people. In a race that will culminate in November, this is the critical time in which many Americans choose their candidate. The U.S. republican government system allows those of any class, race, and gender to cast an equal vote. In order to inform the entire Jesuit student body and prepare them for the approaching political world, the social studies department at Jesuit created a political issues day.
When dealing with young men, it is often very difficult to divert attention to current events away from their iPad or computer and in the direction of global affairs. Mr. Wester may have said it best. Despite the typical uncaring teenager attitude, he noted that Jesuit “gives a decade’s jump on things and [tries] to impart this knowledge to [students] mainly because it’s a part of [their] Jesuit education.” Commending the success of issues days, he stated that they are “extremely and fundamentally important to [the] mission here [at Jesuit].” Issues days become more and more necessary in a growing and tightly interconnected world. In order to function in a constantly more globalized world, the ability to stay informed is critical, and these issues days lay a strong foundation for this goal.
Issues Day, featuring speakers with an astounding list of achievements and occupations, varying from Jesuit teacher to professor to national political correspondents, was destined to be fantastic. The lineup both excited and informed students simultaneously:
- Dr. McFarland kicked things off with one of the most fundamental and important skills an informed person has: how to effectively inform yourself on all political concepts.
- CNN correspondent and Dallas Jesuit grad, Ed Lavendara showcased John King with a live videochat on covering politics.
- Not to be outdone, SMU professor Dr. Rick Halperin followed with coverage on human rights, politics, and how they interact.
- Coming straight from the heart of Jesuit, Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Segal explained the separation of church and state, and generally how politics and religion interact.
- Another Jesuit teacher, Mr. Batik, explained contemporary political issues and the importance of polling.
- Scott Turner, a former NFL defensive back, excited and engaged Jesuit students uniquely with a combination of eloquent speaking and interesting stories from his playing days in the fast and furious NFL.
- At one of the main events, Mr. Mike Rawlings, the mayor of Dallas, honored the school and took time out of his busy schedule to inform students on Dallas politics.
- Another professor from SMU, Dr. Dennis Simon, showed Jesuit students political ads from the past and present, how they affected the race, and how they evolved over time.
- To close off the day, Mr. Pitts summarized what all of this information meant and why it was important.
With a crew prepared to succeed, the presentations began. Although all achieved their desired objective, some of the speakers truly excelled in delivering their message accurately and energetically.
Arguably the biggest name on hand, John King truly had issues day attendees spellbound. Mr. King is CNN’s chief national correspondent and former anchor of “John King, USA.” He has worked in journalism since 1985, covering the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. As he continues to cover this election, he took some time out of his incredibly busy schedule to speak to the student body. Through Skype, Ed Lavendara and John King successfully instructed Jesuit students not only on this upcoming presidential election but also methods of covering them in general. Eventually, students were able to ask Mr. King their own questions.
A big hit and a very prestigious guest, King thrilled students and faculty alike with his stunning insight into politics. Jared Ucherek ’15 “felt privileged to get an inside view on some other perspectives” and found the interview with John King “very informative.” The expert analysis of the campaign opened a new paradigm to the students and gave them new eyes to see the entire political spectrum.
An NFL veteran, Scott Turner played for the San Diego Chargers, the Denver Broncos, and the Washington Redskins during a nine-year career. His inspirational life story and active lifestyle of sports and athletics helped some students connect with his message. He is currently running for the Texas House of Representatives and continues to defy all odds. Despite people persistently telling him he couldn’t play division one football or make it in the NFL or run for office, Mr. Turner has ignored them and achieved his goals time and time again.
A student favorite, Scott Turner captivated both the attention and dreams of ambitious adolescents, and he emphasized the importance of never giving up on your goals. Wowing his listeners, Eric Donica ‘13 commented that it was cool the way that “[Mr. Turner] related his experience in football and life to becoming a political figure.” As a school with a large amount of student-athletes, he was able to uniquely relate to aspiring competitors.
Following Mr. Turner, Mayor Rawlings radiated warmth that spread through the Terry Center. Father of a Jesuit grad, the Mayor viewed the students on a more personal level, looking upon the people who will more than likely lead Dallas in the coming years. As a mayor of 1.3 million people, Mr. Rawlings is a very busy man but gifted us with his presence. Explaining the intricacies of Dallas city politics, he highlighted key points that must be addressed in the city to maintain its functioning structure. Students were later allowed to ask Mayor Rawlings individual questions.
Attendees were unanimously pleased with what the mayor had to say, with feelings of respect and admiration for his visit. Jack Ford ’14 found it really “cool that the mayor of such a large and busy city came to [Jesuit] to speak to [students] about these really important issues.” Informing and inspiring, the mayor delivered on many levels. Patrick Joseph ’15 admired the mayor for how “honest and personable” he was, displaying qualities “[unlike] politicians on T.V.”
With the goal of “increasing awareness about the political process leading up to the presidential election,” Mr. Asche, a social studies teacher heavily involved with this issues day, found it “very successful” with “resoundingly favorable responses [from students].” He furthered his comments saying that “anything that [Jesuit] can do to make students into more informed or educated consumers of information is always a positive thing.”
Successfully achieving their goal, the social studies department spearheaded a productive day with knowledge to promote student awareness. Receiving undisputed approval, the issues day truly fulfilled all of the criteria which it set out to accomplish, and earned the support of the entire Jesuit student body.
