Students in HS History Teacher Dr. David Davidson’s Election Seminar 2020 presented an interactive debate (with context and a Q&A portion) to the full high school community. The debate centered around the following prompt: Resolved: Structural reform should be an essential component of the governing strategy of the two major American political parties. 

Students from the Seminar presented affirmative and negative positions. Building from their work in class, they demonstrated the nuances of the national debate over  ‘court-packing,’ the abolition of the filibuster, the addition of more states to the US, and other forms of systemic change that would not require a constitutional amendment.  
 
Students from the seminar then fielded questions from the audience pertaining both to the long-term wisdom of structural reform as well as the shorter-term political strategy surrounding such changes.
 
In addition to this assembly programming, students have been and will continue to be invited to participate in optional presidential and vice presidential debate debrief sessions the day after these events take place.  These sessions are facilitated by Nicholas Lechich, Dean of Students; Terrill Caplan, Assistant Dean of Students; Dr. Talya Ramchandani, High School Psychologist; and Juliet Baker-Samuels, DEI Coordinator for Student Life. 
 
Story contributed by High School History Teacher David Davidson and Assistant High School Director, Dean of Students Nicholas Lechich