Anacapa students make their choices for Santa Barbara City Council

Anacapa School has a long tradition of encouraging civic engagement in its students. Every two years, Anacapa’s seventh and eighth grade class in American government invites candidates for Santa Barbara’s City Council to make individual presentations to students about their backgrounds, why they’re running, what the important issues are, and their endorsements.

Recently, nine of this year’s ten City Council candidates spoke to the class over a five-week period, and for the first time, two former mayors (Sheila Lodge and Marty Blum) came into the class to pitch their preferred candidates, as well.

Students had plenty of time to hear from the candidates, ask all the questions they wanted, and discuss their own choices with their classmates. The culmination of this inquiry into representative government was for each student to write a paper explaining the reasons for his or her own endorsements.

The class deliberated at length to select candidates that would be balanced choices. Then on November 2, a vote was taken in class to determine which three candidates the class as a whole would endorse.

By an overwhelming majority, the class endorsed Sharon Byrne, Iya Falcone, and Randy Rowse. There were many individual qualities that the students admired in these three candidates, but the one quality that all three exhibited that the students particularly liked was independence. All three came across as non-partisan and able to work the middle to get things done.

Thanks to all of the candidates and the former mayors for taking the time to speak one on one to the class. We also thank City Clerk Cyndi Rodriguez for her personalized tour of the City Clerk’s office, which included a look at the City’s newly purchased machines that will process ballots on Election Day.

Anacapa’s seventh and eighth graders will, no doubt, be following the results of this election and the work of the newly constituted City Council. We also look forward to inviting candidates for local offices to speak to the class when County elections are held in 2012.

Gordon Sichi
American Society Class Teacher;
Headmaster
Anacapa School