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<strong>Hersey</strong> Holds It's 2012 "Election Project," Brainchild of<br />
Veteran Teacher Dale Dassonville<br />
November 5, 2012<br />
As the 2012 election season nears its culmination, so does the fifth installment of <strong>John</strong> <strong>Hersey</strong> <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>'s<br />
"Election Project:" an ongoing series of speakers and activities that moves the students of <strong>John</strong> <strong>Hersey</strong> <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
beyond the doors of the standard curriculum. The intention of the project is to foster in students a civic awareness<br />
pertaining to real world contemporary issues through their exposure to and immersion in the political process. The<br />
"Election Project" is the brainchild of 35-year-teaching veteran, Dale Dassonville, who started at Buffalo Grove<br />
<strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong> in 1977 and transferred to <strong>Hersey</strong> in 2002.<br />
"This project is consistent with <strong>John</strong> <strong>Hersey</strong>'s goal to graduate informed and involved citizens," Dassonville<br />
explains.<br />
"A passion for intellectual citizenship fuels <strong>Hersey</strong>'s Election Project," says Dassonville's fellow <strong>Hersey</strong> English<br />
teacher, Jim Miks. "This belief in constructive public dialogue serves students well and engenders a just, thoughtful<br />
political process. Dale's passion for civic education enhances student capacity to link learning to experience."<br />
<strong>Hersey</strong>'s English Division Head, Dr. Charles Venegoni, believes, "'The "Election Project'" brings civic concerns<br />
and decisions directly in front of our students, who are afforded rare opportunities to engage in the issues that will<br />
define their futures. These events define the emphasis on civic awareness and critical thinking that we cultivate in<br />
our students."<br />
Past speakers in the Election Project have included Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, Representative Bob<br />
Dold, State Senators Matt Murphy and Dan Kotowski, State Representative David Harris, and numerous<br />
candidates including Brad Schneider, Dan Seals, Bill Brady, and Rick Santorum. Activities have included<br />
teacher presentations on campaign ads and the political process, political satire, and the impact of super-pacs on<br />
current elections.<br />
Venegoni claims, "Dale Dassonvile is a rare talent, a sophisticated intellectual with a wide range of diverse<br />
experiences, who provides large numbers of students meaningful experiences that will impact considerably their<br />
lives as students and their futures as citizens."<br />
Over his career, Dassonville has influenced thousands of students and countless colleagues. He is a unique<br />
teacher that understands that the students' education doesn't begin or end at his classroom door. Dassonville feels his<br />
obligation is not limited to the students on his class roster, but to all students who walk the halls of <strong>Hersey</strong>. Since his<br />
transfer to <strong>Hersey</strong>, he has been a leader in and organizer of the Forum series that supplements <strong>Hersey</strong>'s academic<br />
programs. "Forums" at <strong>Hersey</strong> are a shared-educational experience for all students, and Dassonville has readily<br />
taken on this responsibility. Whether the presentation is on Hero Iconography, Medieval Architecture, or Aristotle<br />
and Citizenship, Venegoni believes that these opportunities for students are, "…crucial to the intellectual community<br />
and climate that typifies <strong>Hersey</strong> and its instructional model."<br />
In his final year of teaching, Dassonville refuses to slow down, as this year's Election Project indicates. The<br />
weeks leading up to the election have seen him juggling his regular schedule of classes with a hectic slate of<br />
arranging and facilitating a multitude of speakers and activities, as his website daledassonville.com/epc.htm<br />
demonstrates. Still, he continues to send more emails and make more phone calls in hopes to convince other<br />
candidates, including Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, to visit <strong>Hersey</strong> and speak to the students. And, while<br />
many candidates see this forum as a campaign stop, Dassonville steadfastly maintains a purely educational, and nonbiased,<br />
experience for the students. Each speaker must choose a focus topic (role of government, alternatives to twoparty<br />
system, the election process etc…) to speak about rather than just giving a "stump" speech, and the agreement<br />
for each candidate is at least half of the time has to be set aside for student questions so that they can better shape<br />
their educational experience. For Dassonville, there is no greater goal for education than to ensure that the students<br />
of high schools today become capable and flourishing citizens of the world tomorrow.<br />
Bob Dold<br />
Brad Schneider<br />
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