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Photo K. Corwin

Renee Matamba ('16) was appalled when researching her candidate Bobby Jindal.

In Karen Vallershamp’s AP US Government Class, students were asked to design a six sided tissue box to reflect information regarding an assigned contender for the 2016 presidential election. They were required to include their candidates’ biography, resume, and current polling results.

Not all students supported or agreed with their assigned candidate.

Renee Matamba (’16) felt utterly disgusted by some of the things she found her candidate, Bobby Jindal, has said, including the quote, “Racism wouldn’t exist if minorities just acted like white people.”

“[Bobby Jindal] is not the best fit for candidacy because his policies were all based on racial issues rather than real American problems [like] immigration and social security,” Matamba said. “I think it’s stupid… people should act as they wish.”

Vallershamp said this was precisely the aim of the assignment: to get students involved in the election and inform them on those running in the election, especially those who haven’t necessarily been front runners. She plans to use these boxes in her classroom heading into flu season to give students a little touch of cultural knowledge.

“When students go to get a tissue and they see the writing on the boxes, they can get a little education on certain candidates that they wouldn’t usually even look at,” Vallershamp said.