Albuquerque Public Schools
We Owe it to Our Kids to Vote!
In her weekly message, Dr. Blakey discusses the innovative ways students are getting involved in this year's election, and she urges everyone eligible to vote.
Most of our students are too young to vote, but that’s not keeping them from doing their part as Americans go to the polls in what some are calling the most consequential election of our lifetime.
And their contributions are landing in the hands of every person in Bernalillo County who casts an in-person ballot, which was more than 85,000 as of last Friday! I’m talking about the beautiful designs on the I Voted stickers handed out to everyone who votes at a polling site in Bernalillo County.
County Clerk Linda Stover hosted the I Voted Sticker Contest, which was open to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. APS art teachers helped facilitate it. Close to 300 entries were submitted and of those, a dozen designs were chosen for the stickers.
They include a New Mexico flag-themed design by Aubrey, now a senior at Del Norte High School; a hot air balloon-theme by Estes, a Georgia O’Keeffe student; a Dia de Los Muertos design by Jayden of Coronado Elementary, and a New Mexico landscape inspired design by Gabriella, who, at the time, also was a student at Georgia O’Keeffe.
We’re grateful to Ms. Stover for showcasing our students’ beautiful work! These stickers put our students’ creativity and talents on full display. Best of all, the contest allowed our students to have a role in the democratic process.
Ms. Stover recognized our students at a Bernalillo County Commission meeting in May. She called the sticker contest an “innovative project designed to foster civic engagement among youth through artistic expression.”
It’s a great program, and I hope it continues for years to come.
Art students aren’t the only ones who have stepped up.
Two of our Eldorado students took part in a national town hall in Dallas exploring the concerns of our nation’s youth ahead of the presidential election. Kaylee Bahe, a senior, and Charlie Wills, a sophomore, weighed in on everything from chronic absenteeism to the need to create more opportunities for Indigenous students. They were among seven students on the panel.
The town hall was moderated by NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd and was part of the Council of the Great City Schools Fall Conference.
I had the privilege of being in the audience during the town hall, and I can tell you that Kaylee and Charlie were articulate and poised. They represented APS well!
Our students are doing their part, now it’s our turn.
Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, independent, or member of another political party, I urge you to vote. Whatever your political persuasion, please get to the polls if you are eligible.
It’s a sacred privilege. More than that, we owe it to our students to educate ourselves on the candidates and the issues and to make the best decision possible for them and for ourselves.
As an added bonus, you’ll get an I Voted sticker designed by one of our kids!
Early voting is available at multiple locations throughout the county until 7 p.m. on Saturday. Or you can vote on Tuesday. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.