Dasi Albert ’27
The Civic Spirit Club is making an exciting entrance to the Upper School against the backdrop of the recent 2024 presidential election. The club is intended to provide students with opportunities to engage with current events and politics that are important to them while encouraging civic awareness.
On November 4, the day before the election, the Civic Spirit Club organized its first Upper School-wide event. Students gathered in the band room to witness their peers present a mock presidential debate and demonstrate the core beliefs of both candidates and their parties. Each side was allowed two representatives and approximately one minute to present their case.
The representatives were given time to prepare prior to the debate and research their candidate’s views on issues regarding the economy, immigration, abortion rights, and international relations — specifically regarding the war in Israel. The debaters alternated answering questions asked by moderators Eden Hanik ’25 and Mayer Frenkel ’25 and were mindful to stay within the allotted time.
As the closing question for the debate, each party was given one question they were not aware of beforehand. What is one belief both parties have in common?
“Democracy is what we have to use for our building block for everything,” Etzy Skromne ’26 said. “We just have different ideas on how to get there. We both agree Israel is our ally but we have different ideas on how to achieve that alignment.”
Other highlights from the debate included Moshe Broder’s ’27 response to the remarks questioning if President-elect Donald Trump’s character prevents him from being a viable presidential candidate.
“People attack Trump as a person and I think when it comes to politics you could argue everyone has flaws when you dig deep enough into their past,” Broder claimed. “Republicans would rather focus on policy because that’s what the American people will experience.”
The representatives as well as the moderators demonstrated a great sense of knowledge and maturity for the debate through their responses and composure. Upper School American History teacher and head of the Civic Spirit Club, Norma Johnson reflected on the performance.
According to Johnson, one student approached her after the debate feeling their position on the candidates changed after listening to the debate which she thought was really powerful.
“I thought they did a great service to their parties and to the issues. I loved the fact that they were respectful of one another, that they listened to each other, that they challenged each other when appropriate,” Johnson said.“The challenge is to be an honest representative of your candidate whether you agree or disagree with them.”
