Finals week is officially over! One thing that the students at Billings Central have been talking about is the Presidential debate in Mr. Fairbanks’ Dual Credit Government Class. Instead of the traditional test, Mr. Fairbanks had the idea to make finals week memorable not just for the students in his class but for the students all around the school.
Senior Brynn Sogaard explaining the goals of her party, “The Bridge Party.” (Ella Fairbanks )
The final project was a presidential debate simulation that taught students what it would be like to be in a presidential debate. Students would make a group and create their own political parties. The parties would have their own representative to enter the election, as well as a social media team. Each party would also have their own name, slogan, and political ideologies.
Senior, Cecily Hope giving her presidential campaign speech during Mr. Fairbanks’ Dual Credit Intro to Government. (Aramis Rivera)
Mr. Fairbanks spoke on why he chose to do this simulation rather than a traditional test saying, “I think that traditional learning methods for government in particular are boring, and I didn’t want to bore students with rote memorization that they would regurgitate onto a test and then promptly forget. In America, what they need are active citizens who may not know the difference between block and categorical grants but know how to campaign for the presidency.” The simulation would help students understand the presidency and understand how to campaign and support a presidency.
Senior, Samantha Deitsch giving her presidential campaign speech during Mr. Fairbanks’ Dual Credit Intro to Government.
The debate gained popularity throughout Central and continued to gain popularity through merchandising, advertising, and endorsements from other teachers and students. Students were welcome to watch debates and pick which party and candidate they support. The two remaining candidates were Alex Johnson and Samantha Deitsch.
The final two candidates debated in one last big debate before the results came in. Presidential candidate Alex Johnson states about the debate, “I knew that I would be able to perform well… I think, coming out of the debate, I felt even better, because the crowd was really with us, and I felt like my responses were really good.” Both parties had debated until the end. The winner of the election was Samantha Deitsch.
Senior Alex Johnson giving his presidential campaign speech during Mr. Fairbanks’ Dual Credit Intro to Government. (Aramis Rivera)
The election was close, but in the end, the votes were counted, and Samantha Deitsch was declared president. President Deitsch mentions about the election, “I was really nervous at first, but I knew that I just needed to trust myself and my intelligence, and I knew that if I was going to win, then I was going to win… and it was really the people’s choice.”
The election was an overall success and the students that were part of the election learned about politics and government. Mr. Fairbanks, reflecting on the simulation final, states, “It went beyond anything I previously imagined. I had an idea that it might be a short project… that it would be hard to get people excited about it, but it ended up being something that honestly spread throughout the school… It was a lot of homework for me as well, but it was a lot of fun to see how it all developed.” This dedication and work put in by Mr. Fairbanks and his Dual Credit Government class ensured that this semester final would be an impactful demonstration of government in action.
