COAL GROVE - It is a hands-on lesson in civics - and civic responsibility rolled into one.

Students in Heather Dutey's social studies class at Dawson-Bryant High School are conducting a voter registration drive Thursday in six locations throughout the county.

"We want to stress to people that this is not a promotion of any particular candidate or political cause but is meant to encourage people to vote,"

Dutey said.

Students fanned out across the area Tuesday morning to distribute fliers and pick up voter registration packets.

"Doing this drive has made us more aware of what's going on around us,"

student Ryan Turvey said as he and a group of other students made their way around the Lawrence County Courthouse, hanging up fliers advertising the registration drive.

"I think the whole class has made us more aware of what's going on around us," Jennifer Lewis said. For Lewis and fellow senior Paul Dale, who both are 18, the election drive has personal significance: they have both registered to vote for the first time this November. Lewis said she was both "excited and nervous" about her new privilege.

The voter registration drives will be from 8:30-11 a.m. in Coal Grove at Forth's Foodfair, Lighthouse Computers and at the high school,

in Ironton at Pick N' Save grocery store and Cochran and Co. Pools, and in Burlington at the Wal-Mart supercenter.