Miami Herald, The (FL) - January 25, 2008
Author: KATHLEEN McGRORY, kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com
The students at Mater Academy Charter High School waited restlessly in the school auditorium Thursday, some chanting the name of their favorite presidential candidates.
Then Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, Rudy Guiliani and a host of other presidential aspirants stepped onto the stage to debate some of this year's toughest issues.
OK, so it wasn't a real presidential debate; students from the Hialeah Gardens high school were portraying the candidates -- and their campaign managers, press aides and speechwriters. But there was nothing pretend about the excitement.
The students on the stage gave surprisingly convincing portrayals of their candidates. Their campaign managers fluttered about as campaign managers are wont to do, some wearing Bluetooth earpieces and make-believe press passes around their necks. Students in the audience carried signs and wore buttons.
Red, white and blue balloons even fell over the crowd at the end of the Democratic debate.
"It felt great," said Daniela Sanjurjo, 18, who portrayed Sen. John McCain in the Republican debate. "I really tried to stay in character. I wanted to do John McCain justice."
The mock primary was the brainchild of Idelsy Schaub Llanes, a social studies teacher at the school. She was looking to engage her students in the primary, she said.
TEAMS OF SIX
Around Thanksgiving, Llanes split her advanced placement and honors government classes into teams of six.
Each group was randomly assigned a presidential candidate -- and told to get to work.
"I had no idea who Ron Paul was," said Alex Calleja, 18, of the Texas Republican congressman he played.
Within the groups, each student chose a different role.
One played the candidate. The others were campaign managers, speech writers, ad directors and media specialists.
All team members were expected to know their candidate's positions on education, immigration, healthcare and the war in Iraq. They also had to be familiar with their opponents' views to deflect attacks from other campaigns.
In addition, each team had to film a three-minute campaign ad and a one-minute attack ad. They also produced a radio segment, decorated bulletin boards and wrote speeches.
"Usually, whenever we have a group project, it's an easy A," said Natalia Paguaga, the understudy Mike Huckabee. "Pretty much from the beginning, we knew this was not an easy A."
The students dove in -- many going above and beyond their teacher's expectations.
The Hillary Clinton team, for example, made five campaign bulletin boards and decorated the cafeteria with balloons. Maurine Sotero, 18, who portrayed the New York senator, then went classroom to classroom in hopes of garnering votes.
"I got really into the campaign," Sotero said.
By January, the students were fighting for space on the "high-profile" bulletin boards in the cafeteria, Llanes said.
Some even started watching the debates on their own.
The day after Monday's Democratic debate in South Carolina, the students were buzzing about how Clinton and Obama had sparred over experience.
"I couldn't believe they were talking about the debate," Llanes said. "Some of these kids were really apathetic. To see them so interested was great."
Election fever hit in other classrooms, too.
"The whole school is interested," said Paguaga the day before the debate. "It's like we're all in election mode."
CAMPAIGN SLOGANS
On debate day, more than 200 Mater students packed into the auditorium.
They plastered the walls with glitter-adorned campaign signs -- with pictures of the real candidates -- and slogans that happened to rhyme: 'I'm sidin' with Joe Biden," "If you love your mama, vote for Obama."
The audience wasn't limited to students.
Among the moderators: Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina; former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez and Hialeah Gardens Mayor Yioset De La Cruz.
"I'm nervous," said Ivan Castillo, a.k.a. Rudy Guiliani, before the debate. "I don't want to make a fool of myself."
The Democratic candidates and the Republican candidates debated separately.
The Democrats stuck mostly to explaining their own positions. The Republicans, however, challenged each other.
At one point, Calleja, playing Paul, criticized McCain's guest worker plan.
"You forget that this country was founded on immigrants!" Sanjurjo, the ersatz McCain, responded.
INVOLVED AUDIENCE
Both challenge and comeback drew applause from the audience.
When the debate ended, team members hugged each other and snapped photos on their cellphones and digital cameras.
Llanes congratulated her students for their efforts.
Next Tuesday, the entire student body will participate in a mock election.
They will have to choose either the Democratic or the Republican ballot.
But for many of the students involved in Thursday's debate, Tuesday will be about more than a mock election: It will be the first time they actually vote.
Many, like Calleja, are seeing the election in a new light.
"At first, I wasn't into politics," Calleja said. "Now, I can't wait."
He plans to vote for "himself."
Then Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, Rudy Guiliani and a host of other presidential aspirants stepped onto the stage to debate some of this year's toughest issues.
OK, so it wasn't a real presidential debate; students from the Hialeah Gardens high school were portraying the candidates -- and their campaign managers, press aides and speechwriters. But there was nothing pretend about the excitement.
The students on the stage gave surprisingly convincing portrayals of their candidates. Their campaign managers fluttered about as campaign managers are wont to do, some wearing Bluetooth earpieces and make-believe press passes around their necks. Students in the audience carried signs and wore buttons.
Red, white and blue balloons even fell over the crowd at the end of the Democratic debate.
"It felt great," said Daniela Sanjurjo, 18, who portrayed Sen. John McCain in the Republican debate. "I really tried to stay in character. I wanted to do John McCain justice."
The mock primary was the brainchild of Idelsy Schaub Llanes, a social studies teacher at the school. She was looking to engage her students in the primary, she said.
TEAMS OF SIX
Around Thanksgiving, Llanes split her advanced placement and honors government classes into teams of six.
Each group was randomly assigned a presidential candidate -- and told to get to work.
"I had no idea who Ron Paul was," said Alex Calleja, 18, of the Texas Republican congressman he played.
Within the groups, each student chose a different role.
One played the candidate. The others were campaign managers, speech writers, ad directors and media specialists.
All team members were expected to know their candidate's positions on education, immigration, healthcare and the war in Iraq. They also had to be familiar with their opponents' views to deflect attacks from other campaigns.
In addition, each team had to film a three-minute campaign ad and a one-minute attack ad. They also produced a radio segment, decorated bulletin boards and wrote speeches.
"Usually, whenever we have a group project, it's an easy A," said Natalia Paguaga, the understudy Mike Huckabee. "Pretty much from the beginning, we knew this was not an easy A."
The students dove in -- many going above and beyond their teacher's expectations.
The Hillary Clinton team, for example, made five campaign bulletin boards and decorated the cafeteria with balloons. Maurine Sotero, 18, who portrayed the New York senator, then went classroom to classroom in hopes of garnering votes.
"I got really into the campaign," Sotero said.
By January, the students were fighting for space on the "high-profile" bulletin boards in the cafeteria, Llanes said.
Some even started watching the debates on their own.
The day after Monday's Democratic debate in South Carolina, the students were buzzing about how Clinton and Obama had sparred over experience.
"I couldn't believe they were talking about the debate," Llanes said. "Some of these kids were really apathetic. To see them so interested was great."
Election fever hit in other classrooms, too.
"The whole school is interested," said Paguaga the day before the debate. "It's like we're all in election mode."
CAMPAIGN SLOGANS
On debate day, more than 200 Mater students packed into the auditorium.
They plastered the walls with glitter-adorned campaign signs -- with pictures of the real candidates -- and slogans that happened to rhyme: 'I'm sidin' with Joe Biden," "If you love your mama, vote for Obama."
The audience wasn't limited to students.
Among the moderators: Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina; former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez and Hialeah Gardens Mayor Yioset De La Cruz.
"I'm nervous," said Ivan Castillo, a.k.a. Rudy Guiliani, before the debate. "I don't want to make a fool of myself."
The Democratic candidates and the Republican candidates debated separately.
The Democrats stuck mostly to explaining their own positions. The Republicans, however, challenged each other.
At one point, Calleja, playing Paul, criticized McCain's guest worker plan.
"You forget that this country was founded on immigrants!" Sanjurjo, the ersatz McCain, responded.
INVOLVED AUDIENCE
Both challenge and comeback drew applause from the audience.
When the debate ended, team members hugged each other and snapped photos on their cellphones and digital cameras.
Llanes congratulated her students for their efforts.
Next Tuesday, the entire student body will participate in a mock election.
They will have to choose either the Democratic or the Republican ballot.
But for many of the students involved in Thursday's debate, Tuesday will be about more than a mock election: It will be the first time they actually vote.
Many, like Calleja, are seeing the election in a new light.
"At first, I wasn't into politics," Calleja said. "Now, I can't wait."
He plans to vote for "himself."