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 Students Simulate Presidential Campaign
Bruce Yingling January 2010  Students in Mr. Lynden Chapman’s government class learn first hand about the process of electing the U.S. President by participating in a simulated presidential campaign. According to Mr. Chapman, “During this Presidential simulation, the students gain a clearer picture of the election process and become aware of the problems and difficulties presented to any candidate who campaigns for the highest office in the United States.”At the beginning of the unit, Mr. Chapman organizes the class into presidential teams consisting of the presidential candidate, a campaign manager, a press secretary, and a speech writer. These teams must research six current event issues, develop a platform centered on these issues, and then plan a campaign which includes press releases for an in-class newspaper, “live” press conferences where the candidates must answer specific questions, and a full presidential debate the day before the class election.
Mr. Chapman stated, “At first the students act as if this project were any other large assignment, complaining about the amount of out-of-class time involved; but as the days continue and the teams’ candidates stand in front of the class and present their speeches and press conferences, the students become more serious. Their platform of six issues becomes very important to them, and they begin to take ownership of their campaigns.” The highlight for the students is always the presidential debate, which Mr. Chapman said usually becomes “quite heated.”
 Commenting on the project, Adrian Ramirez, presidential candidate and ultimate winner this year said, “The competition was tough, and the press conferences were intense. However, I had one of the best campaign managers and by far the best speech writer. Their support is what helped me win.” Meghan Bay, another presidential candidate, said she liked having a “hands-on project” instead of just reading about the election process in the textbook and that she “learned a lot.” She also agreed with Adrian that one of the most important lessons she learned was that “the back bone of strong leaders is their support.”According to Mr. Chapman, “I always enjoy this simulation because I can see students grow in leadership as well as learn what happens if their team is not well prepared.” |
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