HB Middle School students had a great lesson in civics and the democratic process this morning, when they held a special Electoral College-style vote for the next President of the United States.
The girls were randomly assigned to represent U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and they cast their votes using their iPads. The results were instantly tallied and displayed on the big screen at the front of The Ahuja Auditorium.
At the end of five rounds of voting, President Barack Obama emerged as the winner, with 328 Electoral College votes to Governor Mitt Romney's 210. Obama took the popular vote as well, 118-111.
There were some surprises in the HB Electoral College map, with several traditionally red states going blue this morning, and vice-versa. The state of Texas put it over the top for Obama, and many swing states - including Ohio - broke for Romney. While the results were being tabulated, political cartoons drawn by fifth- and sixth-grade students, and political ads created by girls in grades 7 and 8 were shown.
Many thanks to the Middle School History Department for making this wonderful morning happen.