(Tipp City, OH) -- About 200 community members attended Meet the Candidates Night, which was planned, organized, and executed by students enrolled in the Tippecanoe High School Advanced Placement Government and Politics class taught by Randy Sentman.
All six candidates for City Council and seven candidates for the Board of Education participated in the event.
The students agreed the well-organized event went smoothly and served as a great benefit to voters. They said it successfully fostered civic engagement and promoted awareness for voters.
"I was impressed with the amount of people who came and had questions for the school board and City Council candidates," said THS student Chris Brunswick.
The event provided a platform for community members to interact with the candidates to gain insight into their goals, reasons for seeking office, and planned initiatives.
The evening started with a Meet and Greet, a casual environment for residents to meet and engage with the candidates, ask questions, and discuss their concerns. A 2-hour Question and Answer session followed.
Candidates first introduced themselves and shared background information. Students then began asking questions they had developed after researching topics and community concerns.
THS student organizer Ava Potts said, "We had a lot of intelligent, well-thought-out questions, especially for the school board, that I think answered a lot of the public's questions and allowed them to get a good feel for the candidates."
If old enough to vote in this election, she said, "I would have been able to make my decision almost completely based on what I heard during the Meet the Candidates Night. Now that I know how useful events like this are, I will 100% make it a point to attend events like this in the future when I am an active voter." She also considered the event an amazing experience.
Student moderator Jacky Wyant, who can vote, shared the sentiment. "I learned about the candidates myself and can now make an informed decision on who to vote for."
The project also provided students with a unique educational experience.
THS student Sam Van Oss said, "I think that the academic merits of this class project would include learning more about running election-related events; it was a great hands-on experience for our government class."
The entire event was organized and managed by THS students, including the planning, scheduling, logistics, and moderation of the candidates' forum.
"We are immensely proud of our students for their initiative, dedication, and enthusiasm in making this event a success," said Superintendent Aaron Moran.