This election night, the students of Olympian High School’s Advanced Placement Government class were watching alongside the rest of the nation as the future leaders of the United States were determined. From five to nine in the evening, a hundred students eagerly gathered around the Multi-Purpose Room’s big screen to watch as each state finished tallying up their votes.

A frenzy of cheers, questions, and chatter filled the room that night as students celebrated democracy.

The event was meant to be informative. As each state was called, a student would go up to the immense construction paper map taped next to the big screen and color the state, depending on the results, either red or blue. The catch? The student had to correctly answer a question regarding concepts such as the Electoral college, voter behavior, exit polling, or media coverage of politics.

“I liked how we had the context of school without the pressures of school work,” said Elijah Williams, AP government student at Olympian High. “Not only was it a good learning experience, but it allowed all my friends and I to sit down and focus on something that was critical to our future”.

The environment, however, was certainly not one of a typical school event. Chants echoed around the room as students laughed and celebrated their particular party’s state victories.

“I learned that the elections are a really exciting part of the Democratic government that this country has,” said government student, Juan Iniguez.

To add to the ambient, snacks were sold and students were encouraged to discuss among themselves their views and hopes for the political turnout.

“There was live coverage of the election, a lot of food and drink, I got to spend quality time with some of my closest friends, and who could say that answering a government-related question to color in a state was not tempting?,” said Austin Roberto, AP government student at OHS. “How could I not have fun?”

The fundamental purpose, however, was not to have fun with friends, answer questions or even learn more about the government. The main purpose of election night at Olympian High school was simply to celebrate democracy.

“It wasn’t really about whether you were a democrat or republican,” said Kimberly Soy, AP government student at Olympian High School “It was about getting together and appreciating the freedom and privilege we share as Americans.”

The ultimate significance of this event, still, is not that Olympian High School’s AP government students are celebrating democracy. Rather, it’s about the message such an event sends to the community: Young people are politically aware and ready to vote the next time around.

In fact, the message this event gives to the community is one that the young voters have given to the nation this year. With 20% of the voters consisting of young people, it’s evident that their views and needs can no longer be ignored.

“Most of us are not yet old enough to vote, but that doesn’t mean we fall into the stereotype of politically apathetic teenagers,” said Karla Mendoza, AP government student at Olympian High. “We are developing our views on different issues that matter to us now, and when the time comes we’ll let our voices be heard. As we saw last night, America shouldn’t underestimate the power of the youth’s vote