The new Civic Engagement Initiative (CEI) led a schoolwide meeting during Advisory on Nov. 6 to discuss the election and how to follow the news closely while not becoming overwhelmed as the results remain uncertain. 

With more than 100 members on the Zoom meeting, Humanities teachers Stacy Arevalo and Jaya Subramanian and several seniors led the event. Jose Angulo, Bresy Predaza-Perez, Francisco Lopez, and Abraham Borjorquez gave a presentation about the electoral college and how it determines the results of the popular election. They explained the history and pros and cons of the electoral college. Even with the listed cons to the electoral college, Bresy said, “Currently, we won’t be seeing the abolishment of the electoral college anytime soon.”

Jaya said that the electoral college confuses many adults, so they included it for younger students to learn about. Then, she shared an update on the election as of Friday morning, when Democratic candidate, former-Vice President Joe Biden was leading with 253 electoral college votes. (Vote-counting continued and the next morning, Biden was named the winner, after capturing enough popular votes to equal the required 270 electoral college votes.) 

Stacy focused on how to handle all the information online while remembering to care for mental health. She highlighted the importance of choosing news sources wisely. In order to be sure information is factual, Stacy recommended looking at websites that are driven by numbers rather than general reactions because they break down the information, even if it can be intimidating. 

“Don’t be intimidated by it – it just gives us a clear picture,” Jaya said. 

Also, Stacy suggested going for the “boring” articles would help, especially when an article’s purpose is not to entertain but to inform. 

Since plenty of things were still changing on Friday, Stacy’s presentation also went over terms, such as misinformation versus disinformation, and advised not always consuming news from the same sites and taking breaks from consuming information on platforms like Twitter or Instagram. She also mentioned the importance of being able to sort fact from fiction because not only will it reduce anxiety, but it will also help the community around us. 

The Civic Engagement Initiative will keep meeting every Friday during lunch and invites anyone to join. As they closed the presentation, once again they emphasized the importance of sharing information with our community and families and tending to our mental health when dealing with all the information online.