As more chaotic events happen, political involvement becomes more relevant. At Reno High, students vary on the amount that they are informed with today’s news.

“I have some students who are tracking bills in the Nevada legislature,” AP Government and We The People teacher Richard Clark said. “Writing for the Nevada Independent, speaking at School Board and City Council meetings. This is why civic education is important, teach the ones who are not engaged and further stoke the passions of those who are.” 

Students are spending their time in some classrooms discussing current events. They have different opinions on how much they value their political involvement within a classroom.

“I enjoy knowing what is going on within politics and being educated is definitely a priority for myself,” senior Avery Grogan said. “I wouldn’t say that I am very politically involved. Within the classroom I believe political discussions can be valuable, if it’s related to the unit or chapter and if it will serve a real learning purpose and not just teenagers arguing.”

Some students receive their information on current events and politics from social media. On a larger scale, social media has been difficult to call 100% reliable because of the large creator pool. 

“I think nowadays it’s very easy to get misinterpreted information from sources like Fox News, CNN, Instagram, and many other social platforms,” freshman Natalie Venzon said. “It’s also difficult when people admire and listen carefully to certain creators’ biased opinions to the point where they confuse facts with the person’s own belief.”

When students are constantly growing and taking in information, it can be difficult to find their place in the political spectrum. Sometimes the influence teachers have can be used to encourage independent and original thinking. 

“I think many of my students are overwhelmed with the variety of positions and directions they are being pulled,” US History & AP Human Geography teacher Brain Karlin said. “One of my core political beliefs is that there is inherent value in liberal and conservative viewpoints.  The trick is figuring out when to apply one or the other.”