The gathering at Big Lou鈥檚 Pizza had the makings of a classic high school pizza party: teen boys and girls sat on opposite ends of a long table chatting about an upcoming football game, checking Snapchat and TikTok on their phones, and sharing cheesy slices.
But every few minutes their faces turned stoic as they looked up at screens displaying election night results on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and Newsmax.
The students attend Highlands High School, about three miles up the road from the pizzeria, and are in Noah Lipman鈥檚 AP U.S. Government and Politics class.
To help bring the electoral process and class lessons to life, Lipman has invited students to a local establishment in presidential and mid-term election years since 2016 to view results alongside local residents. Earlier in the day, Lipman brought them to speak with workers manning the polling site at their school about how voting machines work and ballot security.
The course requires instruction on political participation in the United States, including presidential elections and related quirks like primaries, the Electoral College, and the race to 270 votes. There鈥檚 also a focus on how news media informs voters.
Witnessing election returns with friends and community members offered the class a chance to learn some of those lessons in real time. And Lipman hoped it would contribute to the civic engagement he wants to foster in his students, some of whom voted for the first time this year.
On Tuesday night, students eagerly participated in the tradition. But they were also cognizant that it would be the last of its kind: This is Lipman鈥檚 last year at Highlands High School鈥攈e鈥檒l continue working with the College Board, the organization responsible for the AP program, and in higher education鈥攕o the future of the election night gathering is in question.
鈥淚n four years when you鈥檙e in college, are you going to host an election watch party?鈥� Lipman asked his students at the pizzeria Tuesday night.
鈥淲ill you be there?鈥� asked Kaden Bryant, 17, hoping for a yes.
69传媒 get an election lesson in real time
As results started to come in, Lipman told his students what they should be looking for, especially in key states.
As networks showed results from individual counties, some students wondered why it mattered to see those local results.
鈥淭he key here is to follow the county this year as it compares to numbers in the last four years,鈥� Lipman explained.
Others wondered early on why Vice President Kamala Harris was so far behind in the electoral vote count. Several of the states whose polls had closed earliest鈥攁nd whose outcomes were easiest to project鈥攖rended Republican.
鈥淗arris was winning the polls but look, she鈥檚 got no [electoral college] votes,鈥� said Isaiah Galindo, 17, pointing to CNN鈥檚 tracker.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 because they haven鈥檛 gone north and west yet,鈥� responded Gian Walker, 17.
An especially polarized electorate made for a unique teaching year
Presidential elections all have their memorable moments, cultural impact, and historic purpose.
For the 2024 cycle, Lipman noted a distinct cultural landscape: this time, he had to devote more time than in prior elections to explaining the ramifications of an increasingly divided electorate, and a rise of misinformation across social media platforms and even some mainstream media channels.
The polarized atmosphere is partly why a national EdWeek Research Center survey of educators this summer found that most teachers were opting not to address the election in class this fall. While a majority of teachers said it was unrelated to their subject area, about a fifth of teachers said talking about the election in class could lead to parent complaints, and that they didn鈥檛 think students could discuss the topic respectfully.
While the 2024 election cycle will not be on the AP government exam this May, Lipman and several fellow AP teachers spoke to Education Week earlier this year on the importance of teaching the election and how to do so in a civil manner.
69传媒 appreciated instruction geared at civic engagement
The room in the pizzeria where Lipman鈥檚 students gathered exploded into a chorus of 鈥渨oah鈥檚鈥� when screens showed Trump and Harris tied at 49.2 percent of the popular vote.
Lipman explained how a two-point margin held by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania could be a good sign for Harris.
But that was early in the night. By early Wednesday morning, tallies showed both Casey and Harris behind in the Keystone State.
69传媒 commented on how confusing it was at times to see different TV networks displaying different results for the same states.
But the stronger sentiment the students echoed throughout the night was how grateful they felt to be able to share this moment over food, even when peers differed in political views.
鈥淚 think more teachers should do this, and more classes should look into doing something like that,鈥� Gian said. 鈥淚 actually think it should also be funded and encouraged by schools.鈥�
69传媒 also said they were grateful to learn so much historic context in class that helped them better navigate election night.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more than just people making laws,鈥� said Joshua Tijerina, 18, a senior in Lipman鈥檚 class. 鈥淭here鈥檚 branches, there鈥檚 levels. It鈥檚 just, it鈥檚 so much.鈥�
The concept of divided government is something Lipman felt the need to focus on more this year. He helped students understand that, regardless of who won the presidential election, the president鈥檚 power would be diluted if the opposing party controlled the House of Representatives or Senate.
鈥淓ither side that wins the election is adamant that the other side is completely wrong. And so therefore, if one side can stop the other, we might have a polarized situation where not a lot is being enacted,鈥� Lipman said.
69传媒 this year have asked questions about false claims about mass voter fraud and the purpose of the Electoral College in modern elections.
鈥淓ver since 2020, the fraudulent voting stuff has been raised consistently, and that鈥檚 been a problem, because students, not being fully aware of the certification process, not understanding how many state representatives, secretaries of state have consistently said the voting is 100 percent protected, they then see stuff on social media and immediately assume that the voting has been hacked into in some way,鈥� Lipman said.
As for the Electoral College, Lipman explained in class why the Founding Fathers established it: the Constitution鈥檚 framers were wary of allowing a popular vote for president, and instead originally allowed state legislatures to determine how their states鈥� electors would be chosen. (Voting back then was restricted to white males who owned property, and slave-holding states could count slaves as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional and Electoral College representation.)
鈥淭hat process itself seems a little outdated to a lot of the students, but nevertheless, that is the process that they have to learn,鈥� Lipman said.
An election to remember, even if not for a test
The high schoolers closed out Big Lou鈥檚 about a half hour after the pizzeria鈥檚 official closing time.
The mood of the night echoed its start: laughter and smiles mixed with tense expressions when facing the TV screens.
The presidential race was still too close to call. But Lipman reminded the students of one certainty.
鈥淚鈥檒l see you tomorrow,鈥� he said. 鈥淵es, work is still due.鈥�
