Meadow Bridge, WV (WOAY) – Meadow Bridge High School has won the Jennings Randolph Award again this year. The award goes to West Virginia high schools that register at least 85 percent of their eligible seniors to vote. At Meadow Bridge, that number is 100 percent.
Civics teacher Corey Woodrum organizes the annual registration effort and says the streak carries its own pressure.
“There might be a little bit of panic,” Woodrum said. “All it takes is one kid to be like, I’m not going to do it. But it’s a really good feeling to have because we’ve done something for the community. We’ve done something for these guys. We’ve done something for the future.”
Principal Stacy White said the push to register and inform seniors is about preparing them to be a force for change in the world.
“So often in the school system, you’ll hear students say, well, I don’t like this or I don’t like that, or I wish this could be different,” White said. “So this is the opportunity to help them make something change, to be the voice of that change.”
The newly registered seniors say they are not taking that responsibility lightly, with West Virginia’s primary one week away.
“I’d probably research a little bit more just so that I know that my voice is going to be what I think is right, and not just do it because I think it’s the right thing to do,” said senior Keira Hanshew.
