Upper School Students Attend Forum Club Event
Dr. Benjamin Harper and Mr. Steven Anderson accompanied a small group of civically-minded students on Monday, August 28 to the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches. There, the students were able to have one-on-one time with Senator Bob Graham before listening to and engaging with three prospective candidates in the upcoming Florida Governor's race. Candidates fielded questions from students and the audience of more than 600.
Junior Cameron Pirozzi asked the candidates about Confederate monuments and whether they should be taken down.
“It’s time and it’s right to take down our Confederate monuments across the state of Florida. All of them,” said gubernatorial candidate Chris King.
Upper school teacher Dr. Benjamin Harper helped the students craft questions prior to the event.
“We discussed the most pressing issues and worked in conjunction with one another to write and submit four questions. The Forum Club loved the question about taxpayer dollars being used for confederate memorials, so that's the one we went with,” Harper says.
Harper says the students spent time researching the topics addressed in the four questions that they submitted (tax dollars for confederate memorials, Amendment 1 to protect FL's waterways, attempts at creating a bipartisan agenda, and creating appropriate state gun rights in the face of massive lobbying efforts), as well as the backgrounds and policies of the prospective candidates for governor.
“The event provided our students with an opportunity to meet and engage with elected officials; to listen to policy platforms; and to catch a glimpse of what it's like to ‘be in the room where it happens,’” says Harper.
“We absolutely loved it! The students had a blast and loved getting involved and engaged. The Forum Club took great care of us, and we are very appreciative of the opportunity.”
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A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.