Students were asked to evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of the American democratic system in addition to analyzing the way our system works. Representative democracy occurs in our community through public meetings. By attending public meetings our students are able to find out what is going on in our community, who is in charge, and who represents their views. Also, attending public meetings allows students to participate in decision-making by providing information and feedback to public officials. A public meeting is a scheduled gathering of a governing body. These include meetings of school boards, city councils, county commissioners, boards of supervisors, state legislatures, and Congress.