The opportunity to mingle with presidential candidates during a primary, witnessing historical events as they unfold during what will be a closely watched political race, is one that doesn’t arise too often.  Luckily for the students in Joe Liberti’s Advanced Placement (AP) American Government and Politics class at Mamaroneck High School (MHS), they’ll have a front row seat for all the action as they attend the New Hampshire primary this Sunday, Jan. 8.

The actual primary election will take place Tuesday, Jan. 10.

Departing early Sunday morning, 64 students in Liberti’s class—along with parent chaperones and MHS Principal Liz Clain—will travel to New Hampshire for the primary, as one of the only large high school groups in attendance.   

The primary is the first among several party elections held during election year in which Democratic and Republican nominees are chosen for the elections in November.  Given the media attention that has traditionally rallied around this primary, it is thought to strongly influence a candidate’s future prospects in the presidential race.   

Not only will students get a chance to pepper Newt Gingrich’s director of field operations with questions during a Q & A session on Sunday night, they will also be directly involved in volunteering for different candidates and attending a panel discussion Monday night put on by Politico featuring political correspondants from CNN, ABC, NBC and The Washington Post.  MHS will be the only high school in attendance at the discussion.

“It’ll be so amazing to be in a room and hear them speak-I can’t wait,” said Alicia Meglio, 17, a MHS senior, about the panel discussion.

Meglio, who said, “I’m not supporting a particular candidate,” is also looking forward to “being in the center of such a political hub.”

Jane Wiesenberg, 17, another MHS senior is also excited to get her feet wet in the campaigning process—and find out how exactly voters can be persuaded to come out to the polls—by working for Newt Gingrich.

“We’re all volunteering for the campaigns of our choice and will be knocking on doors and working on phone banks,” she said.

Although both students are technically too young to vote at the moment, any thoughts on who might win?

“Mitt Romney (R) and Obama (D),” said Wiesenberg, about her picks.

The students will also work with MHS video teacher Emily Dombroff to make a 10-minute video documentary about their experience in New Hampshire.

And, for students who will be of voting age come November, the trip presents an opportunity to become engaged in the process so that they will be able to make more informed voting decision.

“The New Hampshire Primary trip fits directly into one of this year’s high school goals, which is to increase opportunities for students to engage in inquiry-based, authentic learning within and beyond the classroom.  This real-life experience is particularly meaningful because a lot of the students who will be on the field trip will be eligible to vote for the first time in November,” said Clain.

Stay tuned for our updated story next week when Patch speaks with students about their experiences at the primary.