Harwood 7th graders to host legislative candidate forum on Oct. 21
October 16, 2026 | By Lisa ScagliottiFor the second General Election cycle in a row, Harwood Union Middle School students are hosting a candidate forum – and all of the legislative contenders on the ballot in the school district are planning to participate.
Event poster image
Seventh graders at Harwood will host the forum this Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. The public is invited to attend in the audience and to meet candidates afterwards.
English teacher Meredith Vaughn and social studies teacher Sarah Ibson are overseeing the project. They say the event is a chance for the students to learn about local government, issues and citizenship.
As part of the project, the students have connected with the candidates, are writing the forum questions, organizing the format, and will be facilitating the event. The format will not include audience questions given the time constraints with many participants, the teachers explained.
All six candidates for the Washington state Senate district have confirmed they will attend, as well as the four candidates running for the House of Representatives in the Harwood school district.
The Senate candidates are Democratic incumbents Ann Cummings, Andrew Perchlik and Anne Watson, and Republican challengers Rob LeClair, Christopher Neddo and Peter Schmeeckle. They are vying for three seats to represent the district that covers all Washington County communities as well as Stowe in Lamoille County and Orange and Braintree in Orange County.
The House races in the Harwood school district are uncontested with four candidates running for four seats. Democratic state Reps. Dara Torre, from Moretown, and Candice White, from Waitsfield, are unopposed for re-election to represent Duxbury, Moretown, Fayston, Waitsfield and Warren in the Washington-2 House district. In the Washington-Chittenden district covering Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore, Rep. Theresa Wood, a Waterbury Democrat, is running for re-election alongside first-time Democratic candidate Katarina Lisaius, from Bolton. All four House candidates are planning to attend the forum.
The teachers said the class is hoping to have the event recorded. This post will be updated with a link when it’s available.
Admission is free. There will be refreshments for purchase at a bake sale to support the middle school math club.