Students at Percy Pegler school will be participating in the Student Vote Alberta after speaking with the four Highwood candidates this morning in a forum.

Ryan Lemphers, grade five teacher at Percy Pegler, says the students learn valuable information when participating in a student vote.

"I think they do care about these issues, and you know their parents have talked about it, but it's important for them to vote with what their feelings and their values align with," he said.

Lemphers says his class has a nature-based program that takes them out of the classroom two days per week, enhancing their interests in political matters.

"They experience things in their lives that matter to them, and they need to know that there's people that can change the outcome of those things. They have an intimate experience with different parts of our community and the environment, and their ownership and ability to analyze and think critically is so much higher, that this stuff matters even more to them. Because they're thinking outside of the box," he said.

Lemphers grade five students created a list of nine questions for all four candidates to address at the forum, including topics such as: climate change, pipelines, health care and the environment.

They then scored each candidate based on the answers to those questions, assisting them in deciding who they will vote for.

Approximately 170,000 students are taking part in the 2019 Student Vote Alberta initiative, taking on roles of elections officers, and casting ballots through a process that reflects the actual voting experience.

The results of the voting will be shared with Student Vote Alberta 2019, and will be released after the results of the provincial election have been announced.

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