HUMANITIES

US DEMOCRACY LECTURE SERIES

During the exciting time in the lead up to the US election, Mr Machin, Mr Lee, Mr Papatolicas, and Ms Snell offered students the chance to attend panel discussions on all things democracy. The response was overwhelming, with droves of McKinnon students spending their lunch times turning up to learn more about the fascinating processes of democracy and civic responsibility, engaging in Q&As and asking insightful questions about the future of the US electoral college system. It was truly a testament to the way McKinnon students conscientiously engage with issues as global citizens.

Angela Masterson

Humanities

REFLECTION ON THE US ELECTION TALKS

Throughout the US election process the politics teachers at McKinnon held lectures examining it. This event involved tracking the progress of votes, making predictions about what may happen and discussing the different policies of each of the candidates, as well as what effects it would have on Australian life. These events resulted in massive groups of socially distanced students, all wanting to learn about the politics of the world. These lectures were interesting and I personally look forward to any similar events in the future.

Liam Gill (11D) 

ELECTION INFORMATION ASSEMBLIES

On Tuesday 3 November Mr Papatolicas, Mr Lee, Mr Machin and Ms Snell held a discussion about the US election to a filled crowd of curious McKinnon students in the Oasis area at lunchtime. At this meeting, each teacher explained to the audience an aspect of how the United States’ democracy is structured and how their voting system functions. This information included how and why the electoral college exists, why some states are more important than others and how each candidate was performing in pre-election polls. With this knowledge, the following day, an even larger crowd gathered to view a live stream of the election and excitedly watch whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden would come out on top in various swing states. 

On Monday 9 November, we regathered to finally discuss the long-awaited results and fallout of the election. The teachers explained the historic circumstances of the election, including the record-breaking numbers of voter turnout, with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump receiving the two most votes nationwide of any political candidate in American history. 

The four teachers reviewed how Kamala Harris is set to become both the first woman vice-president and first of African and Asian descent. They also discussed President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede defeat and his legal challenges to the result in states. We discussed how mail-in ballots affected the rate of which the votes could be counted and how they lead to Trump’s claims of illegitimacy. Finally, we discussed Joe Biden’s victory and his promise to reunite America and to heal political division in the country.

Sam Potter (10K) and Courtney Schott (10L)