#Middletown High students Kelsey Welby & Chloe Tysor help promote civic involvement at the Valley Road school through a recent voter drive, aiming to improve their community -- and beyond.
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CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
GETTING OUT THE VOTE
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (MARCH 12, 2024) – A group of Middletown High students are looking to get out the vote for the upcoming 2024 elections.
Recently, Senior Class President Kelsey Welby and sophomore Chloe Tysor helped lead a voter drive during lunch periods in the cafeteria of the Valley Road school. There, they stressed that every voice matters, whether it was during Student Council elections, contests for the Middletown Town Council or just everyday life.
Part of an effort by the office of Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore to connect students more with their government, Kelsey and Chloe said they’ve learned a lot through their work so far, which was just the beginning.
“I know there are a lot of kids who have issues they believe in, whatever they may be,” the 16-year-old Chloe said. “There are some who aren’t, just like you could say for adults, but for the most part they’re working for the best interest of the school and the students.”
“With voting, sometimes it’s hard to motivate young people to get interested, but that was one of the goals with this — to provide education,” the 17-year-old Kelsey added. “Yes, you can register, you can vote at this age and you can make a difference.”
Every two years, Middletown holds regular elections for seats on the Town Council and School Committee, the two local boards that shape much of the community’s future.
Sometimes, there are local questions about bond expenditures or amendments to the town charter as well as state and federal issues and elections.
Unfortunately, some acknowledge they don’t see the value or point of voting, a message Kelsey, Chloe and others part of the effort are looking to counteract.
Through the Secretary of State “Civic Liaison Program,” high school students from across Rhode Island — including Kelsey and Chloe — meet in person at the statehouse as well as online through Zoom to talk about civic education and engagement.
As part of that work, each student has to complete a civic action project, which can include everything from creating a club or running a civic related event to a voting drive like the one Kelsey and Chloe organized.
Leading up to the event, they placed QR scanning codes on each lunch table that connected directly to the Secretary of State’s website to register to vote. That way, students could use their smartphones to get signed up in minutes. They also set up a table to answer questions and provide the correct information.
“I know all the students paid attention,” Kelsey said. “I was on the microphone at every lunch and people listened and were respectful. It felt good to know we were helping.”
On hand to assist with the voter drive, Board of Canvassers Chairperson Lucie-Anne Dionne-Thomas couldn’t help but come away extremely impressed. Whether it was the passion from the students to the organization of the drive to the accessibility to voting, Dionne-Thomas felt hope.
“Government and community involvement is so important and I’m just so heartened to see students wanting to make a difference,” Dionne-Thomas said. “It’s not that common, so anything that (students) can share with their peers to get more involved is important. It’s much more meaningful when it comes from people who are their own age. It sinks in more and registers.”
Principal Donna Sweet said more than ever before, civics and the importance of getting involved in the wider world outside Middletown High was emphasized in the classroom and out.
And contrary to what some might think, Sweet said much of the MHS student body is more aware and active with current events. To spur involvement in civics, she said the school holds polls on any number of issues — including regionalizing with Newport schools — to an active Student Council, community service requirements and more.
“I refer to Middletown as a community of helpers,” Sweet said. “Aquidneck Island itself is like that. If something needs to be done, they do it and get it done. I feel the same way about the student body. Things here are pretty easygoing.
“There is a strong student government, not only at each grade level, but overall, and we stress the importance of government here with a very strong social studies department, so students have a good idea of how things work. And that doesn’t even include the strong (Parent Teacher Group) and booster clubs and actively involved parents and strong organization.”
Middletown High Social Studies teacher Jennifer Haskell said she was continually impressed by Kelsey and Chloe and their work. Haskell serves as the school’s teacher liaison to the Secretary of State’s group.
Haskell was also happy to see an increase in civics related offerings at MHS from the work by Kelsey and Chloe to the addition of a student representative to the School Committee and other efforts.
“Those girls are just the best,” Haskell said. “They need very little from me as they are so self-motivated… Government and politics students set a great example for students finding an issue they are passionate about and working for change.”
Asked if there was one issue or concern that ran through the student body, Kelsey and Chloe said that depended on a number of factors. But importantly, students and staff seemed more focused on finding solutions that just citing problems.
“We have the ability to make change here, which is good,” Kelsey said. “We have a student government that works towards what the student body wants to achieve. I think people might complain and rally around an issue, but if it’s something that can be fixed, we try to fix it.”
A big part of that discussion, Kelsey and Chloe said, was how one vote can truly make a difference.
“We hear a lot in classes, particularly our social studies classes, about how voting matters and one vote can change everything,” Kelsey said. “When you hear that message from your teachers and getting involved in things like the voter registration drive, I think people realize it is about a lot more.”
“Even though I can’t vote yet, I feel like there are still so many ways for us to get involved and be heard,” Chloe said. “Not necessarily influence what’s happening, but make sure they’re aware of us and what we’re thinking and why.”
“One thing that’s great about Middletown is our smaller size allows us to hear and use the student voice,” Kelsey said. “We use a lot of voting and Google Form techniques to make sure everyone is heard.”
“We did the student poll last year about merging with Rogers (High School in Newport),” Chloe said. “Our student body ended up approving it and Rogers didn’t. That was a really interesting process to be a part of and it was just like what happened in the official vote.”
Both students said they were appreciative for the support and belief from the Town Council and School Committee, something they said doesn’t happen in every community.
“When we go to the (Town Council and School Committee) meetings, they see us, but more importantly, they hear us,” Kelsey said. “I know for a fact it isn’t like that in other places. It’s something that’s not that common and we as students appreciate it and it’s an influential thing.”
“It’s interesting, watching (my peers) in Middletown get their voice,” Chloe said. “I grew up here and have gone to school with a lot of these same people since kindergarten and to watch people start taking action and get involved, it’s pretty cool if you ask me.”
Document Link: https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/11782/NYCU-Vote