BOCA RATON – Millions of people around the world saw President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney spar in the final presidential debate of the campaign season Monday, Oct. 22 at Lynn University.
But three students and a teacher from Spanish River High School, also in Boca Raton, had ringside seats for the 90-minute confrontation.
Seniors Ilana Weisman, Editor-in-Chief of The Galleon newspaper; Sarah Darwiche, Co-Editor of the Tiburon yearbook and Ross Toback, Co-Editor of the Tiburon yearbook, along with teacher Michael Bartholomew, were in attendance at the coveted venue as guests of C-SPAN. The students served as C-SPAN student journalists and tweeted their observations throughout the night.
“We are very excited about the opportunity Spanish River Community High School students and their teacher had to become involved with the 2012 presidential debate at Lynn University,” said Assistant Principal Mara Goron.
“The chance to see a piece of history is incredible alone,” Ilana Weisman noted. “But I was curious to see how real journalists operate.”
Ilana, 17, has served on The Galleon staff for three years and believes the opportunity to cover the Presidential debate will allow her to grow as a journalist and as a political pundit.
“I’m extraordinarily excited for the debate,” Ilana said before the big night. “I am an avid follower of politics, and I’m sure the spin room experience for the foreign policy-centered debate will be able to combine my interests of international affairs and journalism wonderfully.”
Ilana’s passion for politics is apparent. She is heavily involved in Model United Nations and is an intern for Organizing for America. She plans to study international relations and political science after graduation, and hopes to intertwine journalism into her career path.
Sarah, 16, is a member of both the yearbook staff and debate team. These two activities have sparked her interest in student journalism, providing a forum that balances local school affairs with national political issues.
After graduation, she hopes to study public health services. Her ultimate goal is to earn a master’s degree in occupational therapy, and then open a community center for individuals with special needs.