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The AP GOVERNOR
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 OBAMA RE-ELECTED, PREP SCHOOL MOCK ELECTION REFLECTIVE OF NATION
ADAMM NORGREN 13 JASON KIM 13 AUSTIN CAVE 13 CYRUS NASSIKAS 13

The Election Recap

The 2012 Preparatory School Mock Presidential Election results are in! As he did in the real election, President Barack Obama prevailed. Obama received 1866 votes while his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, received 1322 votes. Obama received about 30% more votes than Romney. In the Prep Electoral College, Obama won 276 electors and Romney received 74 electors (more results are yet to come, but since Obama has exceeded the necessary 270 electors to win the presidency these results will not affect the outcome of the election). The schools that participated in this election include Avon Old Farms, Choate Rosemary Hall, Deerfield Academy, Berkshire School, Belmont Hill School, Groton School, Governors Academy, Hotchkiss School, Middlesex School, Miss Porters, Northfield Mount Hermon, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, Pomfret School, St. Pauls School, St. Marks School, Taft School, Westminster School, and Williston Northhampton School. Romney won the election in just three of these schools: Avon Old Farms, Deerfield Academy, and

Middlesex School. At Avon Old Farms, Romney won by 46 votes, at Deerfield Academy Romney won by a single vote, and at Middlesex School Romney won by 6 votes. An interesting trend in the Preparatory School Mock Election is that the only all boys school, Avon Old Farms, elected Romney by a large margin, while the only all girls school, Miss Porters, elected Obama in a landslide. This fits the national trend that men lean towards the Republicans, while women tend to be Democrats. Of all students who participated in the Mock Election, 767 identified as Democrats, 609 identified as Republicans, and 594 identified as Independents, with another party, or said they were undecided. (photo from NY Times)

Participation in Mock Election Indicative of Political Interest

BRIAN LEE 13 ZACK TWITCHELL 13 NATALIE ARMACOST 13 MARK UPTON 13

Mock Election Participation

III (61) IV (68) V (68) VI (71) No Vote (80)

The results are in for the 2012 Presidential Election. The students have spoken, and, like the country, would re-elect Barack Obama. Among the student body, 268 of 352 (76%) voted. The incumbent won over the Republican Mitt Romney, by a margin of 142-113. Thirteen students chose Other. An even number of male and female students cast ballots. Seventy seven percent of students participated, with the smallest percentage of participants (69%) in the fourth form. The third and sixth forms participated the most (each 84%), and the fifth form had 74% participation. Eighty-five students identified as Democrats, 54 as independent, 72 as Republican, 3 as other, and 54 as undecided.

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ELECTION

NOVEMBER 9, 2012

Obama Sweeps Faculty Vote

MATT GOLDING 13 NICK KEAN 13 DILLON KIM 13

If it were up to St. Marks teachers, Barack Obama would, without a doubt, be President of the United States for another four years. As the SM polls came to a close last Thursday, it was evident that Obama handily defeated Governor Mitt Romney in their contest to be the Commander in Chief. Out of the 42 faculty members who voted, 38 voted for President Obama, two voted for Governor Romney, and two voted for other candidates. Obamas landslide indicates that there is a strong presence of Democrats among the SM faculty. Following the election, Ms. Kinne McBride was asked for whom she voted and why. I voted for Obama. I voted for Romney when he was running for Governor and, after he was elected, I was not that impressed. Furthermore, I do not like how he changes his views depending on the audience he is talking to and that makes him untrustworthy. Like Ms. McBride, teachers around the

school have a strong dislike for Mitt Romney, as it was proven in the mock election. After last nights results, the faculty members at St. Marks must be rejoicing now that Obama will be President for four more years.

OPINION Political Diversity in Teaching? Not at St. Marks

ADAMM NORGREN 13 MICHAEL HOFFMAN 13 ADAM DAWSON 13

Looking at the popular vote in presidential elections, both past and present, the split between the two major candidates is usually very close. However, when we look at the faculty vote at St. Marks School, we are presented with a very different story. Of those who voted for the two major candidates, ninety-five percent of teachers voted for the Democratic candidate and only five percent voted Republican. For a school that admirably seeks to reflect the increasingly diverse world in which our students presently live, and creates a new position titled the Director of Community and Equity Affairs to [think] about how to best move diversity and inclusivity issues forward, there is a surprising dearth of political and ideological diversity on the faculty (both quotations are from St. Marks website). The school has focused on perceptible forms of diversity, those that lend themselves to a photogenic Viewbook for admissions with pictures of students and teachers of different races, genders, and sexual orientations all collaborating with one another. These kinds of diversity exist to benefit students by presenting them with different perspectives that will enhance their education. However, this is all predicated on the notion that exposure to diversity will include a diversity of ideas and perspectives. Teachers clearly educate students. People do not often consider political beliefs as having an effect on
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SM Website
teaching, but political views undoubtedly reflect the values beliefs, and most deeply held convictions of a teacher. ( http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/09/politically-activeprofessors-dont.html) At St. Marks School, there is largely only a liberal perspective on the faculty, and, thus, the material is more likely to be presented with a liberal bias. To truly be diverse, the school must focus on achieving broad intellectual diversity amongst its educators to provide students with an array of outlooks to fully stimulate their mental capabilities.
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This newsletter and the mock election were brought to you by the Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics class