NEW ROCHELLE, NY — When the Mayor, Board of Education President and Schools Superintendent visited New Rochelle High School to talk about the importance of voting, they found that even the students who won’t be able to cast ballots for a couple of years were eager to be involved.
On Tuesday, National Register to Vote Day, leaders of the League of Women Voters of New Rochelle set up tables to talk with students and help them register.
Sophomore Jannah Massop talked about the responsibility teenagers have as they grow older.
“We are going to be taking care of today’s adults,” she said. “Someday somebody in this school may become president.”
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson talked with students in the cafeteria, then addressed Deborah Minchin’s AP Government and Politics class. He also received petitions from more than 400 students supporting his participation in Mayors for Our Lives, a voter-registration initiative.
“That’s really impressive,” the Mayor said. “It shows the spirit of New Rochelle High School that these young people are not cynical about making a difference but believe that the way you make a difference is by standing up.”
Superintendent Dr. Brian Osborne and Board of Education President Jeffrey Hastie also met with students.
“I am encouraged to see that so many of our students understand how important voting is, even the students who will not be old enough to cast a ballot for another couple of years,” Osborne said. “I want to thank the League of Women Voters of New Rochelle and Mayor Bramson for spending time at New Rochelle High School today educating the students about voting, and helping those who are old enough to register.”
Monica Grey, President of the League of Women Voters of New Rochelle, said it was important to show the young adults they have a say in what their governments do.
“When they don’t like something, or they want something to change, they really can have an influence,” she said.
It is a message that has already been taken to heart by many students, such as senior Dylan Klein.
“Voting is the only way that things will change,” he said.