Written by Katherine Wang (Class of 2024)

With the 2020 presidential election occurring this year, the 2nd through 4th grade girls school students held their own election in the classroom, with a little twist–instead of actual people, the presidential candidates were book characters!

First, the students listened to Splat the Cat for President, a book written by Rob Scotten. After listening, they discussed some qualities and character traits that would make Splat a good president. As Soraya mentioned, “I like that he is always trying his hardest to be a class president.” Shriya added, “He organized the library and painted the shelves with his classmates.” 

Next, they listened to Froggy for President, a book by Jonathan London. They did the same thing, comparing and contrasting his character traits with those of Splat’s, then sharing their opinions. Xinwen noted: “Froggy is a good president because he came up with an idea that they can both be the president, instead of being selfish and saying, ‘I should be president.’ But his ideas are not always good.” 

After listening to both books and sharing their ideas, the girls voted online using a Google Form. Afterwards, they created their own “I Voted Today” stickers, using all kinds of colorful designs.

The final results were a close call, with Splat the Cat taking 59.1% and Froggy taking 40.9% of the 22 votes. Lastly, the students shared the results of the election and celebrated Splat’s victory. This election was a very wonderful experience for the elementary and everyone enjoyed it!