St. Gregory sophomore
Ozzie Miranda does
door-to-door voter education.

Photo: CNW/David V. Kamba

It is Saturday morning and Ozzie Miranda is rushing through breakfast. The St. Gregory High School sophomore has a long list of activities planned for the day. None include the ordinary things a teenager might do on a weekend like playing soccer or hanging out with his friends. Miranda, instead, is planning how to best reach potential voters. Today he will spend time knocking on doors, passing out literature—all in an effort to seek support for his candidate.

It is Saturday morning and Ozzie Miranda is rushing through breakfast. The St. Gregory High School sophomore has a long list of activities planned for the day. None include the ordinary things a teenager might do on a weekend like playing soccer or hanging out with his friends. Miranda, instead, is planning how to best reach potential voters. Today he will spend time knocking on doors, passing out literature—all in an effort to seek support for his candidate.

Although too young to vote, Miranda and dozens of other Chicago-area Catholic high school students are working hard to elect the candidates they think will best serve the country. Many are volunteering their time in local political campaigns because they want to and not as a result of a school assignment.

“Many people complain they don’t get help or services and yet they don’t come out,” said Miranda. “If they want to become part of the decision-making process, they should vote or keep quiet.”

St. Ignatius College Prep seniors are doing the same. Drew Beres joined a candidate’s campaign. After school, he makes phone calls and talks to community members, hoping to create a better awareness of his candidate’s goals.

“A U.S. history course got me interested in politics,” said Beres. “Then I took a summer course in government at Northwestern that really hooked me. I love politics and somewhere down the road might consider running for office.”

Beres’ fellow student Oriana Mastro also is devoting her energies to a political campaign. She began following politics more closely after spending her junior year at a school in Italy. While there, she heard negative comments about the United States.

“I got harassed and made fun of as an American because of things they thought our country was doing wrong,” said Mastro. “I got a clearer view of our system and decided that instead of complaining, I would get involved to change it.”

Loyola Academy’s Rich Brennen and Rich Magnus chose working on a local campaign over writing a paper for one of their classes.

Brennen makes phone calls, stuffs envelopes and blitzes neighborhoods with information about his candidate.

“Working on this campaign showed me how much work there is in running one,” he said. “It also takes a lot of cooperation and money.”

Magnus says he also learned more about the importance of local political campaigns and the amount of energy and work that must be devoted to it.

“We have six full-time workers and many volunteers,” he said. “I will continue working on campaigns but don’t think I would enjoy public life.”

Magnus, like many other high school students, turned 18 in time to register for the upcoming election.

“It was more satisfying than registering for the draft,” he said. “Everyone should be reminded that the freedom to vote for whomever you choose is a key part of living in the United States.”

St. Gregory’s Tyrus Tucker was excited that he would turn 18 just a few days before this year’s voting registration deadline.

“I feel that it’s important for the community and country that everyone who can, should vote,” he said.

“We need to do it particularly for the ‘little people.’ How else are we going to get better schools and have a good future?”

Tucker said he and some of his friends who also turned 18 will go together to vote for the first time.

Many Catholic high school students became deputy voting registrars through a program that enables 18-year-olds to register their peers. Marian Catholic seniors Scott Friedericks, Brandon Kelly, Casey St. Aubin and Rachel West were among those at the school who held voter registration drives during their lunch hours. So did Regina Dominican High School’s Christine Luby, Maggie Moloy and Anne Wynsch.

“We campaigned to get people to vote and added about a dozen or so to the voting roles,” said St. Aubin who also is volunteering for a political candidate.

The students all were excited at the results of their efforts.

“We even got teachers registered who moved here from out of the area,” added Friedericks. “It’s important for young people to vote because they are helping to make a decision for their future. One vote does count.”

On a similar note Kelly adds, “We should take the freedom to vote seriously. In so doing we try to better our country and change that which we think is wrong. It is important to pay attention to the issues and what the candidates stand for.”

Rachel West is glad she was able to participate in the deputy registrar program.

“I learned more than I thought possible. It even was interesting for my family.”

Some students will be working Nov. 7 as election judges through the new Student Election Judge program organized by the office of Cook County Clerk David Orr. High school seniors 17 and 18 years old who have a minimum B average can participate after attending a two-hour orientation class. Their duties are those of any other adult election judge.

Marian Catholic’s Mark D’Apice and Laura Yates chose to participate. So did Regina Domincan’s Amanda Francescatti, Kathleen Shanahan, Sarah Harris, Kathryn Clemmons, Laura Matthews, Reena John, Portia Lebajo, Katie Fitzell, Amanda Mahoney, Julie Meyer, Gertrude Heumann, Anne Wyrsch, Christine Luby, Vanessa DelCampo, Nadia Benemerito, Ashley Brandell, Meaghan House, Anne Kaiser, Lauren Nelson, Raphaelle Richardson and Danielle Suntrup.

“I wanted to see how it works, what actually happens,” said D’Apice. “It’s important to get involved and set an example.”

Laura Yates took her two-hour class at Prairie State.

“Listening to the process was so interesting,” she said. “I can hardly wait for Election Day even if I have to be at work at 5:30 in the morning. We will become a small part of history.”

Most other Catholic high schools will be involving students in the election through some form—whether mock elections, debates or classroom discussions. Even the art and sculpture classes like those at Good Counsel are getting involved. They made posters about the candidates and issues as well as sculpted interpretations of the various issues and parties.

Kristina O’Krongley, a Good Counsel junior, and her classmates watched the three debates and wrote summaries of what they witnessed.

“The hostility each candidate showed the other during the first debate actually was entertaining,” she said. “The second one was boring but watching the debates made me want to look further into the issues and get a better perspective of the whole picture.”

Her classmate Jessica Hernandez formed definite opinions after viewing the debates.

“There was so much tension in the first debate, the body language was really telling but I was more interested in what each candidate planned to do for education,” Hernandez said. “I think education benefits in general and tax credits for college should be made available to everyone and a top priority for whoever becomes president.”

Lourdes High School’s Jasmine Franco and her classmate Amanda Knych—both juniors—used the Internet to supplement what they learned from classroom discussions and heard and saw during the debates. Like other students, the two are especially interested in how the candidates’ platforms will affect their educational future.

“I am really looking forward to being able to vote,” said Franco.

Like many other high schools, St. Barbara High School is conducting a mock election and other activities to interest students in voting and the issues that ultimately will affect them.

“We are trying hard to get students interested in voting and the issues,” said St. Barbara High School’s Diane Rzasa.

“It is everyone’s future. This is not a beauty contest.”