North Penn School Board members connect with Democrats Club in engaging Q&A
TOWAMENCIN – In the age of increasing political discourse, engagement is always becoming more and more prevalent. This is the case for both the old and the young. At North Penn High School, this trend of discussion is similar.
On Wednesday, November 8th, the North Penn Democrats Club met with two members of the school board and had a Q&A session, discussing topics that covered a wide variety of issues, ranging from local topics to national problems. School Board President Tina Stoll and School Board Director Cathy Wesley spent time answering questions, intending to provide closure to students and remove the polarization of politics with the youth. These topics ranged from their individual inspirations that led to them running for the school board to environmental issues to the future of North Penn.
“The questions were forward looking and spoke to what the students were concerned about with the environment and their future, and I think it was important for them to hear from some of the board on what our plans are to address those concerns long term. This is hands-on. It was an opportunity for us to be with the folks that we really represent,” Wesley said.
During the meeting, certain members of the Democrats club also asked questions on how they could help the community and wanted to know steps they could take to impact the world around them.
“We want to encourage people to continue to participate in this process. It is our country and our democracy. [Engagement] is something you want to see no matter how old you are. If we understand what your needs are in addition to the administration, it only makes us a better team,” Wesley said.
Stoll and Wesley also felt this was a good opportunity to connect with the students, letting them know that they are there for them and should share their ideas and feelings on what is going on in the community.
“It’s important for this board to be approachable. We want people to feel that we hear their voice. We want to listen to what the students have to say,” Stoll said.
For the North Penn Democrats’ Club, similar views were shared. The President of the club, Xander Malin, desired to show a different side of the board.
“We wanted to show the human side of politicians because they always just see the policies. They are just people, and we wanted to show them that they are happy to come to a club meeting at a school. The school board spends hours out of their day, which they volunteered to and do not get payed for, so I was happy that they came. They are just people,” Malin said.
Malin felt that the meeting was a success. From his view, students did not hold back and got the answers they sought.
“The whole room was engaged. The school board was very nice. They had absolutely no problem discussing difficult issues and giving straightforward answers, which you don’t see in national cable news often. They talked about the problems they faced, their fears, and what they went through with no problem. Nothing was held back,” Malin said.
As the dust settles from the event, the Democrats club wants to continue helping more students get involved in any way they can. From this experience, Malin has one overall hope.
“I hope students gain a sense of action. Oftentimes people don’t vote not because they don’t like any of the candidates, but they just don’t care. I think [today’s meeting] helps bridge that gap. We saw why caring and seeing the truth is important,” Malin concluded.