Excited about the census ... Zane M., Adam S., and Kyle F. fill out their census during their morning classes.
The Family School Breaks for the 2010 Census
By Jake H.
This year 120 million households found a 2010 census form from the U.S. Census Bureau hanging on their doorknobs.
The census is conducted by asking a series of questions of a percentage of the population. The questions vary from how many people live at the residence to what ethnicity and sex they are.
At certain institutions, where a large number of people live at the same residence, such as The Family Foundation School, things are done a little differently.
On April 1, the census was conducted during first period by the teachers and study hall leaders. It began with a short lecture from the teacher on the importance of the census and then moved on to instructions for filling out the form.
Helen McLean and her colleague James Elliott, a former teacher at FFS, work as enumerators (counters) for the U.S. Census Bureau, and helped conduct the census at FFS.
“I think it is cool that students at the school get to fill out their own census,” said McLean. “At home they wouldn’t normally be participating.” Normally at institutions such as a boarding school, students are accounted for by their parents at home.
One of the main reasons for conducting the census is to determine how many representatives are allotted to each state in the House of Representatives.
The census also determines how over $400 billion per year is spent by the government on emergency services, schools, public works projects, senior centers, and hospitals.
