Newsroom Archive for 07/15, 2009

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day  4— Tuesday, July  14
Reported by: Aya Ibrahim of Annandale High School, Annandale

     The morning started off rocky as my roommate and I decided to stay in bed for just two minutes after our alarm clock went off. Two minutes soon turned into an hour and we woke up shocked to discover we had fallen back asleep. Luckily we had planned for such an event and were able to get dressed and get downstairs on time.  We walked to class and started with speaker Mary Loose DeViney. We had a lengthy debate about Mrs. DeViney’s attempt to amend the Curse and Abuse statute to specifically include police officers and emergency personnel. The issue was near and dear to her heart as her brother-in-law was a police officer.
     After she wrapped up we had a brief discussion about the UVA college credit we receive for doing the program and how to request a transcript. That information would come in handy when we started applying to colleges ourselves. We then jumped to reading group presentations. The presentations broke down the main points of the reading and posed questions for our discussion. We took a break for lunch and came back revitalized and ready for more learning.
     Bob Gibson followed and shared with us his wealth of knowledge of Virginia and federal politics. The media, his time at UVA, and even the benefits of having women allowed in to the university were just some of the many topics we covered. Every few minutes someone would interrupt with a question but Mr. Gibson, a respected journalist for 30 years, seemed to enjoy it. He had an amazing grasp of the current problems we faced and posed possible solutions for all them.
     They say first impressions are everything and with our next speaker, April Auger, that old saying was affirmed. Despite technical difficulties with her power point we were able to get started when Joe saved the day. We looked at ridiculous pictures, some eerily similar to the profile pictures of some of our friends, and talked about the effect of their image. After more discussion and some fashion tips (Black, navy and dark gray project power and authority) we waited for our next speaker.
     Rob Bell was scheduled to speak to us but unfortunately he was stuck in court. Mr. Gibson stepped up and entertained our questions while we waited. Mr. Bell never came, but we still had another speaker. Waldo Jaquith, web designer and blogger extraordinaire, was super savvy with computers but also very informed. He had us laughing through his entire presentation while jumping from website to website. He explained these sites were transparency websites. One of those websites was www.vpap.org,  which you can look up any donation made to any candidate by any person in Virginia. We learned that one of Terry McAuliffe’ s biggest donors was none other than the producer of the Power Rangers himself, Haim Saben. He finished up his presentation by taking us to his website and after some questions he said his goodbyes.  Exhausted and feeling a million times smarter than when we first walked in, we left class and walked to Bice Hall.

— Aya Ibrahim, Annandale

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day  4— Tuesday, July  14
Reported by: Ali Sutherland, Grundy

     Today seemed like it was going to be just another day.  I got up at seven-thirty and did all the regular "getting-ready" things: straightened my hair, put on make-up, got dressed, and struggled just to get out the door.  I changed my mind about the day when Mary Deviney did her presentation.  Let's just say that I've never heard anyone be so passionate about a law.  She (like myself) believes that all people are created equal and should not have to go through physical and verbal abuse just because of their job.  She's trying to get code 18.2-426 changed, and she has good reason.  This code (in short form) states that law enforcement and emergency personnel should put up with what others say and do to them just because of their job.  This goes against what this country was built on, and I support Mary and her cause. 
     Next, Ben, Hollis, and myself presented our reading project on the Byrd Machine.  Harry Byrd was a confusing man, but an extremely smart one.  He was able to control the state with such a small amount of people, and it got me thinking: how would this work out in today's world?  With all the forms of media that are available to us, what would be said?  I know that this was in the papers, but there weren't exactly any gossip bloggers challenging him with the facts.  So, in the long run, do I think that the Byrd Machine would work today? No.
     After lunch, Bob Gibson, who is director of the Sorensen Institute, came and spoke to us about his job.  Bob has a fascinating story about his time at UVA and in Virginia politics.  Not only does he do a fabulous job with the Sorensen Institute, he is also a journalist.  I've always loved journalism, and this coming school year, I will be one of three editors for my high school yearbook.  While Bob was talking, I started to think about Tina Fey.  Okay, I know what you're thinking, but Tina Fey went to school at UVA, and I've always loved Weekend Update on SNL.  Seeing as that I'm headmistress of funny here, I think I've found my niche: political comedy.  I love to act, I love politics, and I love journalism.  I could be the next Steven Colbert, Tina Fey, or Amy Phoeler!  The great thing about political comedy is that although it is very well known, it is still not mainstream.  This is definitely something I need to look into as a career.
     After Bob's presentation, April Auger, another member of the Sorensen staff, taught us how to present ourselves.  She had a slideshow of all different kinds of people: goth, punk, preppy... everything!  She also told us to be careful about what we put on the internet, because employers will be checking out our Facebook and MySpace profiles when we apply for jobs.  After this, we all asked her some questions.  Normally, I wouldn't trust anyone else with business fashion, but I trust April because she seems like a very fashionable woman herself.
     I knew that I could check my delegate's voting record on the internet, but I didn't know you could ever go this in depth!  Waldo Jaquith, the man behind Richmond Sunlight (check it out!) seems to have taken Virginia politics by storm.  He's on his way to being at the top of his game, and get this: he's thirty. Thirty, and already this successful?  I want to know his secret.  He is also extremely funny, which made his presentation even better.  I'm going to start checking his website often once I get my internet back.
     So, was today a normal day?  No— it was a great day!  Actually, it's a great week!  I've been so blessed to meet all of my fellow young politicians this week.  I've never met anyone else my age with so much enthusiasm for something so important.  I (like most of the others here) hope to go to UVA after high school. It sounds crazy, but I already feel like we're best friends.  These are people who I can have a mature conversation with, but still goof around with at the same time.  Aren't those the best kinds of friends anyway?

—Ali Sutherland, Grundy