Newsroom Archive for 07/20, 2009

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 8— Saturday, July 18
Reported by: Muaz Rahman of West Springfield High School, Sprinfield

     The first Saturday of the Sorensen Program, July 18, was a great day that was very much needed and looked forward to in the minds of the students.  After the long and zealous week, the sleep-deprived students had the morning off and classes did not begin until 1 pm. Comparing this to waking up at 7:30 in the morning during the week, Saturday was a much-required treat.
     We actually went through a bit of a transition this day due to the change of both classroom, teacher, as well as the topic of discussion. Marc Johnson, our last teacher, discussed with the class the topic: The Informed Citizen. He was a great teacher and taught us, in my opinion, many new pieces of information that are very critical in being successful in the political field.  Our new teacher, Professor Stephen Bragaw, is also as knowledgeable and discussed with us the topic: The Thoughtful Citizen.
     This topic was different from the last topic in the sense that we discussed ‘thought-proving ideals’ and actual chemistry that lies behind politics and not as much information as conferred with Marc Johnson. Class lasted for three hours. We talked extensively about justice, theories behind government, public goods and service, and other conceptual topics.
     We then proceeded to read off of our readings for that specific day. Many new ideals and concepts were presented very clearly to us from the readings that I believe are very important to the American people—especially people who are involved in politics and have in mind to strengthen America as a whole. We looked at the American government from an antagonistic point of view and looked at the faults of democracy and how it can lead us to an undesired end. This is very important since as a political activist we have to try to find the flaws in our government and communities and attempt to try and fix these problems for the betterment of society at large. The topic was overall very enjoyable and presented to us a different outlook in politics and showed us its roots and basic underlying factors.
     The day was then capped off with dinner and some fun outdoor activities which almost all of us took part in. We are all looking forward to the days that lie ahead and hope to learn even more about politics and how we can be a part in making America a better place.

—Muaz Rahman, Springfield

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 8— Saturday, July 18
Reported by: Amy Friedman, Roanoke

     The sound of my Ipod woke me up as usual this morning but I felt very different. I was...ready to get out of bed. Not only did I get more than three hours of sleep last night – I got nine. And I had two whole hours before I had to be in class.
     First, we cleaned. Obviously since everyone here at Sorensen is a "leader of tomorrow," we are all exceptionally organized and responsible. Yeah – not so much. I have yet to do my laundry (of which there is a lot more than there should be since we have only been here for seven days). The rest of our room is a mess, so we decided to only tackle the dishes. And by we I mean the wonderful Hollis, my one roommate who offered to do them. Hollis hates milk. Someone hadn’t poured the milk out of their cereal bowl, like three days ago. Hollis did not approve, and rightly so.
     Before we knew it, it was time to leave again for class. Yes, even though it is Saturday and perhaps the nicest day I have seen all summer, potentially in my life, we have class.
     I arrived late to class and had to sit in the back, which I hate, and then our new teacher walked in and he was like all of those profound teachers you see in college movies. The best example of this that I can offer is as follows: He had us all try to define ‘justice’ and how we know what justice is. There was clearly no right answer but we all tried because we are nerds like that. As we answered he would tell us which ancient philosopher’s ideas we were channeling. When my fellow classmate Whitney defined justice as punishment and revenge he replied that she was "busting a cap in Plato" yeah. Toto, we aren’t in Roanoke anymore. (And if you were wondering, I’m apparently a lot like the Scottish Enlightenment).
     So I sat in the back thinking about the state of democracy and eating Sweetarts with my new fabulous Sorensen friend Emma and had to take a second for an internal laugh at how crazy and wonderful it is just to be here.
     Emma lives here in Charlottesville, so after class we met up with her friends and ran about town, ate some Thai food and returned to Bice. So that’s it. That’s the way it is at Sorensen (take this moment to mourn the recent loss of Walter Cronkite if you haven’t already). This is the only place where the day can start with rotten milk, spend three hours dissecting justice, and end – well, probably it will end sometime very early tomorrow morning.

—Amy Friedman, Roanoke

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 9— Sunday, July 19
Reported by: Jack Marshall, Richmond

     Today at Sorensen we had two hours of discussion forum on the judiciary system with a judge from Louisiana.  We discussed the three approaches to the judiciary sector and how we felt about them.  Everyone participated in a lively discussion that was not dominated by one or two people as usual.  Everyone’s ideas were valid, and we all brought up some good points.  After Andrew finished writing on the blackboard for about two straight hours (while no one took notes) and we all ran out of things to say, we headed back for Bice hall at about 4:45.
     After a good dinner we sat down in our educational group and talked for about an hour and a half.  We got several good pages of information typed up and made good progress.  However, since the rough draft of the paper is due on Tuesday, we have another four and a half pages to type up at the least— not to mention our personal letters to our delegates we have to write as well.  We should be in for a fun Monday of work.  The highlight of the day was going down to the UVA Corner and getting stocked up on soda and food for the dorm.  The annoying part was having to carry it all back.
     For the rest of the evening, we plan to go get ice cream and hangout on the Lawn.  Waking up early tomorrow will be tough after sleeping in for two consecutive days, and it will take a while to get back into the routine.  This morning everyone slept in and did a little work on projects and basically just took the morning off to relax.  It was much easier since we got to dress casually too.  We got to have a nice Sunday and it was a much needed break for rest and relaxation.
     Now that our first week at "camp" is done, we have all made some great friends and really seen how rewarding the entire experience can be if you pay attention and do the reading, which seems to literally never end.  Hopefully we can have a great last week and bring the camp to a strong close.  I am looking forward to spending more time with all our great campers and counselors over the course of the next six days.

—Jack Marshall, Richmond

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 9— Sunday, July 19
Reported by: Natalie Cruise, North Stafford High School, Stafford

     Today was a very relaxing Sunday to say the least. While we had lots of time to catch up from our hectic week and enjoy the lovely weather, we also learned some insightful information during our few hours in the classroom.
     Everyone woke up way later than usual, and we all lazily crawled out of bed to eat some delicious bagels and salads from Bodo's Bagels. After that, half of our group split up and headed to Thornton Hall to participate in the "National Issues Forum." None of us had any clue what it would be about. We had our speculations, but no one really knew what we would be doing. Once we arrived, we were welcomed by a nice judge from Louisiana who was very cordial, and we sat down in a circle to start our discussion.
     Last night we read a booklet titled Under Pressure: How Can We Keep the Courts Fair and Impartial? which was written by the American Bar Association Coalition for Justice. It informed us about the public's different opinions about the judicial system, and described three approaches in which to better the system and the public's opinion of it. During the forum, we went into more detail about the three approaches and learned how they apply to real-life courts. The first approach is to understand the role of the judiciary, which allows citizens to better understand their government and the courts system. The second approach is to make the judicial system work better by strengthening its foundation and making it more efficient. The third approach is to make the judiciary less political by devising a new way to choose our judges and make the system less partisan. All of these approaches can be effective in improving the judicial system and allowing citizens to put more trust in the courts.
     Today's events gave us the perfect combination of learning and relaxing, and we all enjoyed the time spent with each other. Tonight's events included more reading, more project work, and more good times with friends. I'm so excited to spend two whole weeks soaking up tons of information and making new friends while enjoying the beautiful UVA campus. I know this next week will be filled with lots of fun things to learn and do, and I can't wait to see what's next!

—Natalie Cruise, Stafford