PTHS’ Annual AP Government Presidential Election Kicked Off the Holiday Season

There are many notable traditions at PTHS during the holidays that students and staff come to treasure, like Spirit Week, the door-decorating contest, and more. Nonetheless, one of the most memorable and interesting traditions is the AP Gov Presidential Election which takes place on the Friday before Winter Break. However, there is more to this custom than meets the eye. 

AP Government and Politics is an Advanced Placement course offered to seniors at PTHS. The purpose of the course itself is for students to develop an understanding of the American government, and its institutions, processes, and behaviors. One major component of the course is the presidential election system, and the role U.S. citizens play in the election process. Fittingly, to simulate this process in-person, two members of each AP Gov class are taken to be the presidents and vice-presidents of the “Blue” and “Gold” parties. 

Further simulating the presidential campaigning process, both parties are composed of multiple positions including the candidates, campaign managers, platform strategists, website designers, publicists, and advertising consultants, all of which play equally important roles in preparing their respective party for the debate. 

One crucial element of the campaigning process that the teams work on is the policy-making aspect of promoting their parties. Blue Party Vice-President Mariam Kerkadze feels that one of the most important policies her party focuses on is the SAT and ACT Prep and AI Communications Course “which will improve [students’] standardized scores for the first half of the year while the second half of the year will compose of public speaking and methods at bettering the use of AI to help students prepare for future college courses.” Gold Party President John O’Connor emphasizes an important aspect of the Gold Party’s agenda through the Shadow Week Initiative “in which eighth graders come to the [high] school and get a tour with current students.” The candidates’ dedication to improving the Pequannock Township School District’s interconnectedness is clear through their policies which evidently address relevant topics of interest in both PTHS and PVMS. 

Further, when asked about their favorite parts of the campaigning process, both parties offered insightful views into what being an AP Gov student is really like. Blue Party President Matt Mistrette commented about how “just going out, having fun, and trying to get the students to get on board with our policies was an incredible part of the process.” Evidently, candidates do not only try to connect with students through their policies which play an integral role in their educational lives, but also through hosting enjoyable activities. To list a few, the Gold Party’s pie event at lunch involved having students pie a Gold Party member in the face in return for hearing their policies, while a key Blue Party activity was Mistrette dressing up as “DJ Santa” and provided music for students in the cafeteria during lunch, displaying a more lighthearted and easygoing side to the campaigning process. 

Come the debate, which occurred on Friday, December 19, Mistrette and Kerkadze debated their platforms with O’Connor and Jack Picardo (the Gold Party Vice-President) in front of the entire PTHS student body. Various students commented on the debate following its conclusion, claiming that it was “engaging, interesting, and even funny at times.” Indeed, all the candidates ensured to throw some humor into their responses, providing a great experience for students and staff alike. 

Prior to the debate, in an interview with Picardo, he described the true objective of the class as being “to figure out ways to get the students’ voices heard and improve the school.” Mrs. Cohen, a U.S. History and AP Gov teacher at PTHS, supplied that she is extremely pleased and proud of all the work the students have put into their platforms and commended the candidates for speaking in front of the whole school about something they felt passionately about. 

However, there is reason to believe that the presidential candidacy of AP Gov’s two parties extends far beyond the voting form that students had the opportunity to fill out following the debate as a means to “have their voices heard” in the ultimate decision, as Picardo recounted. Policies from the parties in past years have made a substantial impact at PTHS, like the study hall course for seniors, the activities fair, and AP mentorship program at the elementary schools. Thus, it is clear that AP Gov is not just a class, but a method of providing civic participation in the local “government” of Pequannock, thereby introducing civic responsibility and pride in this graduating class. 

Ultimately, it is the students in AP Gov who formulated the policies listed above, all to better the high school experiences of future students and the educational environment of teachers. In this sense, AP Gov is not too different from what American politics at a more local level looks like today. It is similarly fostering the virtues of leadership, selflessness, and accountability that makes up a united community and a united nation, and we as a student body have been given the opportunity to nurture that. 

Sabrina Cristea