“These MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump on January 6 have abandoned the truth and abandoned democracy,” President Joe Biden claimed on Friday during his first campaign address.

“Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He is a threat,” Former President Donald Trump claimed during a rally in Durham, NH.

Biden and Trump being the frontrunners on the 2024 campaign trail has created a damaging and harsh political climate throughout the nation. The harsh climate has left Americans dissatisfied, especially with the way the two dominant parties are running their campaigns. This year, because of the disapproval citizens have for America’s Democratic and Republican nominees, North Penn students are holding an Independent Party Mock Convention. It will take place tomorrow, January 8, 2024.

“This program is a North Penn High School tradition that dates back to 1976. Every four years, the North Penn Social Studies Department leads a student-run civics program called the North Penn Simulated Presidential Nominating Convention. We will have over six hundred students role-playing delegates to a political party nominating convention,” Social Studies teacher Brian Haley explained. “This year’s program is an independent party convention. The student leaders chose an independent convention to mirror the growing public dissatisfaction with how the two dominant parties are running our government.”

Planning for an event of this capacity is a hard task, but with the help of his students, Haley has got it covered.

“The planning for this event started in October of 2023. My Co-Chairs of the convention are Kriya Shah, Tarun Iyengar, and Majd Tareq. Their leadership team includes Zach Arnold, Dylan Walsh, Hailey Swyter, and Will Bernal,” Haley detailed.

The planning for the event is so extensive because of the goals that the Social Studies Department intends to reach by running a convention like this.

“The learning objectives are all civics oriented. The goal is to give students an opportunity to experience how political parties work to nominate candidates to run for office. Ultimately, my goal in running this event again this year is to give students an opportunity to engage in political discussions with their colleagues in a respectful manner, to debate policy and candidate options, and to learn how to work in a diverse group where there are many different perspectives on how to solve problems,” Haley explained.

The organization of this event has been taken seriously because of the impact that it can have on soon-to-be voters and future generations of Americans.

“The next generation needs to be better than my boomers,” Haley said.

If you are interested in watching the convention, tune in on NPTV tomorrow at 7:30AM. The Knight Crier will also have coverage post-convention.