Senior English meets right after lunch, and teacher Charles Temple walked with the kids to the Fire Hall to cast his vote alongside his one eligible student. The rest of the class have not yet reached their 18th birthdays, except for one young man who missed the voter registration deadline.

Charles takes his senior English class to vote with him every year. He wants his students "to see how it's done." The class created a line at the voting site – a rare occurrence on Ocracoke. They watched Charles and Eldon get their ballots, then the non-voters waited outside in the warm November sunshine. Chief election judge Deana Yeatts gave the students a copy of the voter registration application so they won't feel left out next November. 

Eldon took his new civic duties in stride and didn't express much excitement at this rite of passage (at least not as much as I did), but he did wear his sticker for the photo. Welcome to adulthood, Eldon!