Election Week at Masters

Teachers in both divisions have been organizing age-appropriate classwork that fosters critical thinking, cultural literacy and ethical leadership. Morning Meetings provided Head of Middle School Tasha Elsbach with the platform to present weekly teachable moments. “We watched videos about how to disagree and talked about issues important to them. We also discussed the School’s values and how no matter the political party, we stand for equality, justice, integrity and peace.” 

Middle school math teacher Jean Colebank crunched numbers with her seventh and eighth grade students as the two classes learned about the electoral college and the candidates' race to reach the 270 electoral votes that are necessary to lock the presidency. “I realized how special this year was with the U.S. Census and the presidential election both taking place. I had the perfect opportunity to show students how exciting and applicable math really is!”

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Colebank’s eighth grade classes applied the Huntington-Hill method of apportionment to determine the number of House of Representative seats each state gets based on the census while her seventh grade students embraced lessons about voting history. “I think it was really interesting to learn the process and see in the past what each state has done and how it could potentially affect the election,” said Claudia Gelblum ’26.

Colebank was inspired by classroom discussions. “Our students are invested in their lives and really care about others and our country, and it shows. I’m so proud of them, and some of them will be voting in four years!” 

“Masters has taught me that voicing your opinion is actually good, and having your opinion matters,” added Rose Manzano ’26.

Head of Upper School Peter Newcomb recognized the contentious nature of this election cycle and shared the various ways in which upper school teachers engaged in conversations with their students. “These were less about the mechanics of an election and more about engaging in dialogue around difficult topics as a citizen,” he said.

This election provided journalism students with an opportunity to hone their reporting skills and practice live coverage while taking a deep dive into the issues that matter to voters. “I think the fact that the pandemic has touched everyone, from top politicians to young individuals like myself, made me become more invested in the government handling of the virus, which eventually thrusted me into a more in-depth understanding of the current political climate and 2020 race,” said Logan Schiciano ’21. 

Schiciano is the producer of Tower Broadcast News. His intrepid reporting skills prompted him to cover one of President Donald Trump’s rallies right before the election with his sister and fellow journalist, Hanna Schiciano ’23. They won an award from School Newspapers Online (SNO) for the story. “In Tower, the biggest thing I've learned is the importance of providing coverage on all angles of the story and this is especially important when it comes to politics. In fact, that's what inspired me to go to Pennsylvania and cover the Donald Trump rally.”

Posing interesting questions about everything from the transfer of power to who would be a better president, Masters students from around the globe have been very engaged with the election as well. “In many ways, the students were able to examine recent events with a clearer, less impassioned eye than many people in this country with strong personal feelings about the candidates,” said Rob Fish, the director of Remote Academy.


For local, first-time voter Emma Listokin ’21 (pictured above), turning 18 on Election Day was about much more than celebrating a milestone birthday. “It is really relieving to have the privilege of casting my vote, knowing that I am able to have a say in these unpredictable times. Today, I was reminded of the importance of voting and how crucial it is in this current political climate.”