Paul S. Rykken | BRFHS history and politics teacher

Forty days from now we will have historic elections in the United States.

We live at a time of unprecedented challenges, and the next leaders of the nation will only succeed if the citizenry remains engaged in the process. Over the next several weeks, we will do a number of things to promote democracy education at Black River Falls High School. We will promote voting among our 18 year olds, assist them with the registration process and do our best to create an atmosphere at school that promotes thoughtful dialogue concerning the issues within our classrooms.

In addition, all our students will have the opportunity to participate in a school-wide mock election during the last week of October, something we have done through the Wisconsin KidsVote program since 1992. In the lead-up to that, we will highlight important races, help our students understand party differences and invite participation with a moderated online election blog.

In many respects, high schools are on the frontlines when it comes to inculcating the values and skills necessary for authentic citizenship in America. Research conducted by professor Dianna Hess at UW-Madison clearly indicates that solid democracy education must include six things: instruction in important content, discussions of current events and controversial issues, service learning opportunities, participation in extra-curricular activities that teach civic skills, involving students in school governance and providing simulations of democratic processes.

All of this, of course, is a shared enterprise. The education of our young people must involve everyone.

As we proceed, we need your help. By far the most powerful learning comes through modeling. Young people need role models. They need to hear the adults in their midst having responsible discussions about democracy and politics. They need to see visible evidence of political participation, particularly when it comes to voting.

Democracies are built brick by brick. If every adult helped one young person in this regard, we could truly change our community. We cannot do this without your involvement.

If you have questions about anything that we are doing, please feel free to contact us. Thanks for your help and remember that “democracy is not a spectator sport.”