Susan Mills, one of the two instructors for the Transitions Academy at Craven Community College, and her students took advantage of First Stop Voting in Downtown New Bern this month. While studying federal and local government and the rights, freedoms, and responsibilities of citizens, Ms. Mills realized that most of the students had never exercised their right to vote and a few were not registered. After researching the candidates and their platforms, students were given assignments including composing a persuasive campaign speech and class debates with a mock election. Meloni M. Wray, Craven County director of elections, gave a presentation on her responsibilities with the Board of Elections. With all of this new knowledge under their belts, students were prepared to register to vote and make an informative decision based upon research and using their own critical thinking skills. For the students, it was an exciting time to exercise their right to vote for the first time!
The Transitions Academy is a tuition-free two-year program for students with mild learning disabilities that improves reading, writing, math, and computer skills in the context of employment and other post-secondary training opportunities. For more information, please call Sandy Bayliss-Carr at 638-4755.