PERRYSBURG, Ohio — The general election in November will be the first time many area high school students are eligible to cast ballots.
Getting registered, being informed and knowing what to do at the polls can be daunting for first-timers. So, Perrysburg High School made sure its 18-year-old students were prepared.
"We're coming down during the lunches and explaining just how easy it is to register to vote. It literally takes two minutes or less," said social studies teacher Ron Degregorio.
With a visit from the Wood County Board of Elections, students were able to experience voting using the machines with mock ballots.
Degregorio says teaching young people how to register and be confident in the votes they cast is important.
"If we can start people voting young and get that habit built up early, they'll be lifelong voters and understand the importance that that 18 to 24-year-old block has in voting," he said.
PHS teachers also educate their kids on topics related to political issues, including finding reliable info on issues, identifying bias and paying attention to polls and trends.
"As an English teacher, I spend a lot of time helping kids find and identify quality sources. Sources of information that they can trust," said teacher Patrick Hall. "We want kids to learn to reflect and to think about the issues that are most important to them."
It's not just about preparing students to vote in the closest election, though. Hall says PHS is getting them ready for the future because the students are the future.
"We obviously believe children are the future, right?" Hall said. "This is the step, this is getting them involved in their own future, too, which is really important."