Newsroom Archive for 07/22, 2009

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 11— Tuesday, July 21
Reported by: Maria Decker, Falls Church

   As my roommate and I were stumbling in our usual morning fashion, trying to get ready on time, we heard an urgent knocking on the door.  It was the rest of our group for the Culminating Project and the memory of the night before came stinking back; we had spent six hours in a row on that first draft!  They informed us as they grabbed the zip drive from the table that we had forgotten to email it to the program managers.  Oops.
     And so, after some running, glaring, and quick typing, we sprinted downstairs to find the rest of the HSLP amiably discussing their papers.  I, frankly, didn't want to keep talking about it as the paper had all but haunted my dreams.  Yet as we started our morning session of The Thoughtful Citizen, I found the topic of policy-making mocking me from the board.  It was a fun lesson, I'll admit, but I only wish I had learned those skills yesterday... before writing the paper.
     After a quick lunch break (mine was not so quick as I was carefully attempting to eat barbecue chicken pizza in a white skirt), we reconvened with Coy Barefoot.  Now, it's no secret that Mr. Barefoot is a favored speaker among the students this year, so we were all glad to have him back.  He set up mock radio interviews to help us with our public speaking - unfortunately, the topic was, once again, our projects.  It was a lot of fun though!  After listening to us explain our policies, he took on the roles of the usual radio host personalities: the far-left or far-right host, the off-topic host, the harping-on-the-tiny-details host, etc.  We then had the task of returning to topic and continuing to promote our policy.
     We had a small break from the project-talk with Toby Quaranta from the Virginia Young Democrats, who shared his expertise on internships and his experience with the Human Rights Campaign. The last speaker, Connie Jorgensen, took us back to the politics of the legislative process. Before I had time to even mentally complain, however, she shared with us a resolution she proposed to apologize for Virginia's involvement in the Eugenics movement.
     Most people hadn't even heard of it.  When they did, they were shocked.  After the explanation, my paper didn't seem so bad.  In fact, the legislative process seemed all the more important, and it really gave us a new perspective.
     Arduous projects and long readings aside, Sorensen truly is a place of opportunity and acceptance.  The respect, both political and general, that we have learned for each other will translate into every aspect of our lives; and together I think we can create a better Virginia and a better world, where ethics is the highest priority.  In sharing a story of deep regret, Ms. Jorgensen gave us the task of never letting elitism and bigotry threaten the liberties of the people.  If that starts with a 15-page policy proposal, so be it.

—Maria Decker, Falls Church

High School Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 11— Tuesday, July 21
Reported by: Evan Maxwell, St. Christopher’s School, Midlothian

     Today, on this cool Tuesday morning, I was awoken was a sudden rapping at my door and a voice shouting “Guys, wake up! Let’s go!” I looked down at my cell phone and found, to my horror, that it was already 8:30. I was already late. Two minutes later, I was downstairs and ready to go with my “business casual” polo and khakis. Thankfully I had not been the only participant late, so the inevitable reprimand from our floor manager, Joe, was not directed specifically at me.
     I then powerwalked to Professor Stephen Bragaw’s class, with banana and Coke Zero in tow, an interesting combination, I might add. In Professor Bragaw’s class, The Thoughtful Citizen, we learned about potential difficulties policy can face when being proposed. Professor Bragaw then pulled down the projector to show us several maps, some of which displayed economic and life expectancy data. Professor Bragaw then explained how these maps can be misleading and can be used to manipulate opinion.
     For lunch, much to everyone’s pleasure and excitement, we had pizza from Mellow Mushroom. After our fantastic feast, we sat down with Coy Barefoot of NewsRadio 1070AM WINA to do mock radio interviews. Mr. Barefoot informed us of various techniques radio hosts use to get interviewees off message. I volunteered to do the first radio interview, and while I may be somewhat biased, I believe I did a good job. My favorite quote from today easily comes from our own, Benjamin Bakkum, who said during his own radio interview with Mr. Barefoot “Don’t be coy with me, Mr. Barefoot.”
     Our next speaker was Toby Quaranta, the executive director of the Virginia Young Democrats. He spoke about how he got involved in politics and ways for us to get internships and jobs in politics.
     Once Mr. Quaranta’s presentation had completed, Connie Jorgensen started hers.  Mrs. Jorgensen explained to our group in depth how the legislature works. We learned many strategies and tactics about passing legislation that was not sung in Schoolhouse Rock’s How a Bill Becomes a Law.
     While consuming kebabs during dinner, I thought about our excursion to Richmond that will happen tomorrow. I am excited to return to my home city for a day, and hear from my former boss, Mr. Don Hall, who will speak to us about lobbying. Overall, I have very much enjoyed HSLP, and look forward to the last few days before graduation on Saturday.

—Evan Maxwell, Midlothian