AP and on-level government classes took a field trip to the Tarrant County Sub Courthouse on Oct. 13 and 17. For six years, the Mansfield ISD initiative gave seniors from government classes the experience to go to the courthouse with this year being a special occasion. An election year.
“Just seeing, the basic process really reinforces that voting is not just something that you do if you feel like it,” AP Government teacher Ms. Danielle Panzarella said. “It is something you should do as part of being a citizen of this country.”
Constable Bryan Woodard gives tours to students from MISD schools. In his 18th year of service, Constable Woodard works with both sides of the law whether criminal or civil cases at the courthouse. With election season, Woodard resides at the courthouse to moderate voter behavior.
“It’s mainly just to keep everybody safe,” Constable Woodard said. “Because election time, when you have a lot of people that have differences, sometimes it can get kind of timid with that, but we’re just here to keep the peace.”
While schools such as Donna Sheppard Innovation Academy become polling stations during the election, Mansfield ISD specifically picks the Sub Courthouse. When students take the tour, they see the courtroom and the office where they issue licenses giving the students access to more information. The courthouse allows students to see many parts of the government building.
“The thing I like most is teaching,” Constable Woodard said. “Letting [students] learn different things and actually be able to see it, versus just hearing about it or reading it in textbooks.”
For Ms. Panzarella, this trip marks her third straight year at the Sub Courthouse. The trip to the polls is something every government teacher across Mansfield ISD is supposed to make to help students understand the election process, how to register and how to make sure students know what to bring when voting.
“I think it matters to them to see the process of people voting, to see the election workers, and those poll workers that are volunteers,” Ms. Panzarella said. “To see people actually participating in that, that it’s not just going to vote, there’s a huge structure that is needed to make sure people can vote, to make it easier to vote.”
At the end of the tour, 18-year-old and registered students had the opportunity to cast their first ballot for a presidential election.
“I personally love it and I get really excited. I almost cried the first time that somebody voted the first day because it’s just so great to see people getting involved,” Ms. Panzarella said. “I mean, [there] was really a long line and they literally prioritized, and I think that just shows you how much those poll workers value voting in the voting process. They want to show people that it matters and make it feel like it’s important because it is.”
