KEARNEY, Neb. — Last Tuesday as American adults went to the polls, young citizens at a Kearney elementary school also visited the ballot box. 

And as their parent’s decided the direction of the country, the students were making a decision that would leave a lasting impact on their school.

Park Elementary students are getting one of their first tastes of democracy. And the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“You got to think and pick the right person,” fifth-grade student Royce said.

The students are picking the name of their beloved Park Panther mascot. Guidance Counselor Debbie Merz helped organize the election.

“Well, the fifth graders had to use a lot of commitment in getting this project done. Lots of flexibility,” Merz said.

It was a serious enterprise for the fifth grade class. They were divided into four groups and tasked with building profiles for their candidate: either Parker, Percy, Patrick or Penny.

“They put together a commercial to highlight their candidate, they made posters… big billboards for them,” Merz said.

Some campaigns went beyond hallway art.

“I have a sister in third grade, so I told her to tell everybody to vote for Penny,” Royce said. “We have a teacher… and she likes Taylor Swift. So, we put Taylor Swift on our poster so we kind of got her class to vote for us.”

The students used the same rationale as many adults when casting their votes. They selected the candidate they had the most in common with.

“She likes football, basketball, she likes blue Jolly Ranchers, which is my favorite too,” fifth-grade student Camdyn said.

“I voted for Penny because I was going to be named Penelope but called Penny,” fifth-grade student Aubrey said.

Merz and the teachers preached the importance of a peaceful election.

“We’re going to be voting and we’re all going to support whoever wins and just getting along and being flexible,” Merz said.

It resonated with the students, who took pride in knowing their vote was their way to leave a mark to be seen by future generations.

“It’s really cool because that’s kind of like our name on (the panther) because we did that," Royce said.

A decision on a name that will last far longer than a term in office.

Administrators tallied up the votes and Park's panther mascot is now named Parker.