APH Students Visit the Edward M. Kennedy Institute

On Tuesday, November 16, Dr. Kimberley and Mr. McLean’s Civics class took a field trip to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston! Civics at APH focuses on the policies that politicians develop in response to current events and issues in their communities. What better way to learn more about this topic than to visit the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate!

Anna B. ’22, Natalie B. ’22, and Mackenzie F. ’22 attended the field trip and shared their thoughts on the experience.

At the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, we learned about both the Senate and about voting rights in the US. We went into a mock Senate chamber and ‘voted’ on a mock voting rights bill. Then, we saw a presentation on gerrymandering and learned how politicians can manipulate districts to ensure that they are in power. My favorite part, however, was looking at Ted Kennedy’s mock office. It was very cool to see how a real senator’s office might be set up. The trip, overall, made me want to become a senator!” – Anna B. ‘22

Visiting the EMK Institute was a great learning experience, as well as an incredible way for us to gain insights on voting rights and the Senate itself. At the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate, we were welcomed by our three lovely tour guides; Nate, Noah, and Will. Sitting in the replica of the Senate Chamber, we acted as senators and debated/voted on the For The People Act. Talking about the history of voting rights and how the voting process has changed to today was incredible- and made us feel like real senators. We then continued our tour and visited a few exhibits, including the voting exhibit. Gerrymandering, political pork, and the 26th amendment were only some of the things we discussed and learned about. Overall it was a very fun trip and an amazing experience.” – Natalie B. ‘22

When we arrived at the institute, we were able to look around before our tour and see Senator Ted Kennedy’s Paintings and other art work displayed around. Then we were guided to the replica of the US senate chamber where we looked at an actual Senate issue and acted like we were real senators and to see what it would be like to be in the Senate. We then went to the Museum part of the building where we learned about Gerrymandering and the process of voting. We then ended the trip by visiting a replica of senator Ted Kennedy’s office and learned about his life.” – Mackenzie F. ‘22