This Tuesday, while seniors were voting for our next President, juniors, sophomores and freshmen chose to participate in the election another way- volunteering at the polls. Arlington offers the opportunity for high school students to participate in their “Election Concierge” program, where they work for a few hours at the polls. They perform simple jobs such as handing out stickers, managing the line and providing assistance to voters. This volunteer opportunity can give high schoolers more insight on the United States’ voting process.

Most students who participated were motivated by extra credit, but that wasn’t the only thing volunteers got out of it. “It’s a good thing to be involved, even if you’re not old enough to vote,” sophomore Sydney Vandemeulebroecke said, who worked from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. that day, “[We were] able to represent young people.”

Vandemeulebroecke would volunteer again next year and recommends the experience to others. Her favorite part of the day was the reward Election Concierges were given. “I liked the donut that we got.”