An election year in the United States, 2024 proved a hectic period from a political and social standpoint. Tensions were high as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents anticipated the election for the 47th President. Although the country’s voting system has been a core part of our democracy since our founding, it has also been a source of turmoil to the public every four years. Consequently, schools have had to find solutions to handle Election Day and its results to manage the potential reactions of students. PDS used its own methods to handle the election, and both teachers and students have thoughts about them.
On the day of the election, PDS implemented safe places throughout the school where students could speak to faculty about the election or any other pressing topics. Dr. Latham, English Department Chair of Princeton Day School, noted, “PDS did a great job leading up to the election because there was a lot of focus on civil discourse both in gatherings and different advisory activities… Faculty had a quiet room where they set up soft music and healthy snacks, which was really nice.” She also expressed how teachers had difficulty moving from the election to conferences that night, as many had emotions running in their minds. Overall, she believes that the school did well setting up support for both faculty and students on such a tension-filled day.
Mr. Hunt, an Upper School History Teacher, briefly commented, “I think Dr. Nicholson-Flynn and Ms. O’Shaughnessy did a great job. It was a hectic week, but the environment here felt sane.” He also expanded on how the students treated it as a typical school day while respectfully discussing the election. From the students’ perspective, sophomore Lance McNally said, “I think the school did pretty well. I didn’t even know it was election day until they announced it during gathering.” He expressed how he appreciated PDS’s efforts to ensure the students’ mental well-being, especially the safe places where students could speak to faculty.
Overall, both students and faculty felt supported during this time of unrest. While politics continue to split our country apart, PDS is committed to keeping our school open for civil discourse while also ensuring no individual feels unsafe.
