November second was just like any other day. My alarm clock was still an unpleasant surprise at 5:30 in the morning, the bright lights of my bathroom still made me squint, and doing my hair was still as aggravating as ever. To me it seemed like every other day but to others it was such a momentous occasion, a day of victory or loss: A day our country would decided its next president.

First period always seems to make me right up in the morning: it’s sort of like my father’s cup of coffee, minus the caffeine. As the bell rang for our current events class, we all took our seats. Chatter erupted almost suddenly until Ms. Dionne calmed us down with the words: Field Trip! Field trip! Hello!! Get to miss a day of school, yesss! She discussed the day’s agenda. Walking down to the Democratic/Republican headquarters, picking your preference, and either going inside to make phone calls to locals encouraging them to get out and vote or holding signs outside. Why not? We decided to make a difference.

We left the school around 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 2 and started walking. None of us knew what was ahead of us, but we were bursting with excitement. The sun would come out and shine periodically, the air was crisp and clean, and the school was fading into the background. Laughter hung around our heads and after a good fifteen minutes we finally reached our destination. Our classes split up into parties and Jade and I headed towards the Kerry signs. Minus the numbing in my fingers, they day couldn’t have been spent any better. Urging your community to vote and screaming, “Go Kerry”, for three hours sort of filled you with a sense of accomplishment. It made you feel like you did something and the amount of praise coming from the people working at the headquarters made you want to stay out there even longer. Some crude comments were made, but that didn’t stop us from screaming at the top of our lungs and proceeding with what we felt had to be done.

The day flew by and at around 1 p.m. we began to trudge back towards Lewiston High School. Thoughts whirled around in my head and I realized how much I had learned about our country that day and why Ms. Dionne had brought us down there. Without different thoughts and opinions, we wouldn’t have an interesting country or life for that matter. Not only that but where would our democracy be? We wouldn’t have a voice. These presidential elections express our rights and let us choose who we feel fit to be in charge. Just watching all the hard work that goes into this and seeing our country get so involved really made me feet proud; Proud to be where I am today and proud to be part of this country. Patriotism flew at the speed of light and whether people banged heads or not, they were still involved. Anyone out there who has not yet registered, please get out and express yourself. People work so hard to put this together and watching it partake in front of your very own eyes is certainly something unforgettable. That day I taught I’d only be taking home a Kerry sign and a tummy full of Chinese food but, to my surprise, I took home so much more. Something that couldn’t fit into my pocket. It was something inside: pride, patriotism, and respect. God Bless America.

Copy the Story Link