US Election Event

Zooming in on the American election

The American election on November 3rd gave social studies students and their teachers a very long but enriching school day. Like many other upper-secondary students around the country they signed in at school again at 7 p.m to follow the election throughout the evening and night.
At Grenaa Gymnasium was covered by Radio LOUD, who had sent two young reporters with local roots. Alexander Boelt Bruun and Miriam Leander both graduated from Grenaa Gymnasium a few years ago. Now they interviewed both students and teachers during the event.

Hanna Aoude and Benjamin Trønnes are second year social studies students. They explain that the election was followed on big screens all night through. On Facebook an opinion survey showed which of the two presidential candidates the students thought would win.
“First there were lectures and workshops,” Hanna explains, and there were several to choose between. “We went to a lecture about QAnon, the conspiracy movement. I wasn’t aware that it actually had any significance. It was interesting and the teacher did a very good job explaining about the movement. We learned about the evidence that members of the movement believe there are for their theories.”
“And after that we took part in a workshop about presidential speeches,” Benjamin explains. “We heard Barack Obama’s and Trump’s inaugural addresses in order to do a compare and contrast analysis. They were quite different from each other. On that basis we were to make our own presidential speech and act as either Obama or Trump,” Benjamin says. “This part was great,” Hanna adds. “Some of us might have become a bit satirical.”

The social event within the election event

During the event all corona-related guidelines were of course followed, including mask, social distancing and sanitizing. “But it was so nice that we were allowed to eat together with our class mates in the canteen and after that play board games and just have a nice time together,” Hanna says. “Some of that atmosphere that we all miss was there.”
“I guess it is the closest we have been to a Friday Café this year,” Benjamin adds. “I really enjoyed that we had plenty of time to talk and that no one had to leave to reach a bus.”

The social studies teachers at Grenaa Gymnasium were also very pleased with the event. The most enduring ones called it a day at 7 a.m on November 4th