I remember attending my first political rally. Al Gore spoke in the Water Street Pavilion parking lot in downtown Flint in 2000, only months before his successful popular vote win and electoral downfall.

Mostly I went because it was a rare opportunity to see a presidential candidate in person, along with the snipers on the surrounding roofs — there’s something strangely fascinating and frightening about that level of security. After all, I went to the thing with my grandfather, not to overthrow the government.

I don’t remember much of the speech, which was pretty much the same political rhetoric you hear from most candidates, punctuated with music from some popular band of the time. Mostly I remember holding a young girl on my shoulder for the entire rally so she could see over the heads of the crowd. I don’t know if it left an impression on her, but I hope so. Her mother seemed grateful.

Still, I do have indelible impressions of the event, which also is one of the catalysts that turned my attention to politics, public involvement and civic responsibility.

So I have to give Grand Blanc schools belated congratulations for hosting a speech by former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last month.

I also applaud Grand Blanc for inviting students from other districts to attend the speech.
Gore didn’t win, and it doesn’t look like Romney will, either, but I’m sure many of the students at the speech will remember the event and their impressions for years to come.

And that’s really the point — to get more people, including young people (once they’re old enough to vote, that is) involved, whether they agree with that particular candidate or not.

Hopefully some of those students will realize that they do have access to government, they can run for an elected seat, or, at least, they know that their vote — and voice — matters.

Hopefully the experience compels them to stay active and involved in their communities and turn out at the polls (which only about 20 percent of voters regularly do in Michigan, presidential elections excluded).

It is a school’s responsibility to foster educational experiences, expose students to the things they will confront once they become adults and provide a forum for understanding the world around them. Grand Blanc succeeded in this endeavor.

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