What Worries the Politically-Engaged at Grace?
Media provided by Sally P. ’26
In recent months, the upcoming presidential election has dominated the news cycles, with journalists and analysts examining the ins and outs of the campaign in close detail.
But, while the opinions and values of voters have received significant amounts of attention, the perspective of America’s teenage youth has been largely neglected. Grace students are civically engaged with their own thoughts and opinions on American politics.
“I try to read the newspaper and I read The Atlantic,” said Antonia A. ‘27, describing her news consumption as an example of her involvement in the political process. However, she also feels that it is important to expand her news consumption to several different news outlets.
Alex Dillon, a history teacher, said that there are numerous spaces for students to express themselves politically, including extracurricular activities and class time.
Dahlia S. ‘25 “register[ed] to vote when [she] got [her] permit.” Dahlia also consumes different news sources as a part of her civic engagement, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times.
Grace students have also protested for causes, such as climate change. When there have been protests, many students get involved.
Mr. Dillon, who teaches a climate activism class in the Spring, identified reproductive rights and gun control as critical issues for Grace students. He did point out that there is “a bit of a gender gap” on reproductive rights, where more female-identifying students usually cite the issue as a concern. “Trump is a very divisive figure, and so there are a lot of strong feelings about that,” he said.
Grace students are deeply passionate about a spectrum of issues.
“Political polarization was also the topic of my [10th grade independent] project and the documentary I made,” Micah W. ‘26 recalled. “Through that, I got to interview Tim Kaine, Andrea Mitchell, and a whole bunch of other politically active people.”
Micah, leader of Grace’s Election Club, has led two MLK symposiums. He identified climate change, democracy, and abortion as key issues he cares about.
Although Nico I. ‘28 said that he is not civically engaged, he nonetheless identified this election as on his radar. “I’m just following the election a little bit,” he said. “ Mostly through the eyes of my peers.”
Mr. Dillon, whose climate class focuses on activism in New York, highlighted an area where Grace students can expand their civic engagement by learning more about the state and the local political landscape. In his view, Grace students typically skew towards focusing on the activities of the federal government, a fault that he attributed to “the adult world and the educational system [and the] media in general.”
With the election only a few weeks away, if you are unregistered to vote, it is more important than ever to vote: https://www.ny.gov/services/register-vote
Wilson Urist ‘27, the author, is a staff writer for The Grace Gazette and the leader of the school’s High School Democrats club.