Tens of thousands of Arkansans will make their vote count on Super Tuesday--but hundreds of Cabot students have already made their choice in a mock election this week.
 
Though the votes won't count, the experience will count for something--and the person who made it all happen is our Arkansan of the Week. Jill Weir, the media specialist at Cabot Middle School, is a self-described political junkie.

(Jill Weir, Cabot Middle School) “One of my favorite things to do is get a bowl of popcorn and watch the election results. You know, I'm just one of those kind of girls.”

This year, she decided to get the kids involved in the presidential election.

(Weir) “So I thought, ‘You know, what are these kids gonna remember? Us telling them about an election, or participating in an election?’”

Her first idea was to get the kids to participate in an online poll, but some teachers asked if she could get her hands on an actual ballot. Lonoke County election officials went one better, providing the kids with the actual voting machines that will be used Tuesday.

But Jill didn't stop there. She had students pretend to be the candidates--and even make their own campaign ads.

(Weir) “They studied the issues in class, and we actually had speeches that Obama has given, or Clinton has given, or Huckabee has given. And they took that and reenacted it.”

They even did exit polling. And through that, they found the top two issues that matter to the kids—education and the war in Iraq (web|news) .

(Weir) “I hope that it makes them pay attention. If they'd have come here and done a worksheet about the election, would they remember that 10 years from now? I don't think so. But they'll remember being the candidate, talking about the issues, talking to their parents and making a decision on their own.”

The Arkansas connection was a big advantage in Cabot. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary and Mike Huckabee won the Republican primary--both by landslides.

If you have someone you'd like to nominate to be our Arkansan of the Week, send an e-mail to scottinman@katv.com.