Newsroom Archive for 07/15, 2010

High School Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 3-Monday, July 12
Recorded by: Alexis Davis, Chester

The first day of class at Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia was a mix of events. We all rushed to get dressed in the morning hoping we are not the last ones to meet in the lobby, and be looked down upon by our peers for tardiness. We start our walk to the classroom under a cloudy sky which shows signs of future showers; the walk is long and tiring for the female species due to the wearing heels. We arrive and the High School Leaders Program Class of 2010 officially begins.

April Auger begins the class with an extremely student involved lesson of Media 101. April informs the class that good media abides by two rules: 1. Think what your message is for your group and 2. Nothing is ever off the record. The class also engages in a task of listing five positive and five negative aspects of where each of us resides in Virginia. I found it very interesting to hear what my adolescent peers wanted from their local governments.

Barbra Kessler, a resume expert, is introduced to the class and we are told to turn in our resumes which will be proof read and corrected with the infamous red pen. She informs the class on how to improve our resumes in a more mature and professional way emphasizing detail in our extracurricular activities. Many raise their hand in questions due to their prior experiences with resumes. She smiles and exits the door, leaving the class to lunch. Lunch consists of tasteful bagel sandwiches and a simple yet delicious salad of tomatoes, romaine lettuce, almonds, and unique vinaigrette. Lunch concludes and it is back to the classroom.

Mark Johnson is our instructor for the remainder of the week. He starts off with a lesson in ethics: What it is and what does it means to be ethical? We divide into groups and discuss what components make up an ethical leader and there is much debate in the room. Ultimately, we decide a leader should be honest, fair, respectful, and virtuous. Next, we move on to ethical dilemma scenarios. An ethical dilemma is right verses right, both actions should past the test. Tricky? Yes! Did arguments arise? Yes! Did we come to a final conclusion? No! However, I personally love hearing the opinions and viewpoints of others. The most fascinating learning experience for me was toward the end of class. We learned the profile of each region of Virginia, including: population, income, economy, etc. In public school we learn about the demographics of the nation as a whole. In Sorensen we learn about issues that specifically relate to us and how we can make Virginia a better place for all of it's residents. The day concluded with a presentation from a reading group and we were released from class to humid rainy weather.

Dinner was delicious. It was a buffet of rice, hummus, pita bread, tomato and cumber salad, veggie kabobs, or meat kabobs, a middle eastern theme. We all retreated to our rooms to listen to music, text, get on facebook, or (cough) do our homework. Then our YPC Lauren took us to a frozen yogurt bar called Arch's, I had vanilla frozen yogurt with gooey brownie and banana; healthy, minus the brownie. We then retreated to Bice House to work on our homework and any other assigned assignments due tomorrow.

This experience is amazing; the people are all accepting and extremely mature for their ages, the teachers are fun and interactive, and our YPCs are always there to help us have a good time. Sorensen is awesome and I recommend it to anyone who wants to peruse a career in politics or to experience college life: it's a rush!

High School Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 3-Monday, July 12
Recorded by: Mac Dobbins, Danville

Today was a pleasant first day of class. Although I was 3 minutes late to meet for class, I managed to still get downstairs before everyone left.

After discussing local issues in Virginia with Ms. Auger, we took a break and prepared for our speaker, Barbara Kessler. She explained to us the ins and outs of resumes as well as reference lists. After our speaker we had a great lunch from Bodo's Bagels. Our first class with Mr. Johnson followed, and we learned about ethics in Virginia politics while defining what it takes to be ethical. After our discussion on ethics, we talked about the reading from the previous night and a group presented and offered insight.

Once class was finished, we came back to Bice and were served dinner from Sticks Kabob Shop, which was almost as good as the Bodo's. Following dinner we went to the corner and picked up a few things at CVS and had food at the White Spot, which also competed with the day's other meals. Then we came back to Bice and did our homework in groups, concluding a long first day. The day was exciting, as we were all anxious to start our Sorensen experience, but we are all ready to get in the swing of things.
 

High School Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 4-Tuesday, July 13
Recorded by: Logan Ferrell, Midlothian

As a caveat, I guess I should admit that I was a bit hesitant about writing a blog entry for my experience at Sorenson and even the experience itself. However, just three days in, I am ready to renounce such hesitancy and report in.

The experience of one day, July 13 in this case, can go a long way in explaining not only the program, but also how my seemingly idealistic vision of the program was fulfilled in reality. The first speaker of the day was Mary Deviney, a humorous combination of registered parliamentarian and jewelry storeowner. Such a combination would seem at first an odd contradiction, but as I am quickly learning, much of Charlottesville and modern politics is defined by contradiction. That same such contradiction can be seen in the very lesson of parliamentary procedure: it remains a seemingly dull subject reserved for massive textbooks, but upon further reflection is in fact a collection of accepted customs and rules that separate democratic government from descending into the anarchy of forceful majority rule. By explaining the numerous motions, points, and maneuvering that bind the apparent drudgery of everyday government, Deviney used personal stories and local examples to make procedure into something I had never expected: interesting and relevant.

The class then resumed the actual UVA class portion of the program, for a “discussion” of Virginian political history since the mid 20th century. To do this, groups presented the last few decades in a competition to both teach and entertain the rest of the class, relying on anything from chalk timelines to an uncanny impression of Senator Harry Byrd.

Having rushed through history, the class replenished its energy on a lunch of Chic-a-Fila chicken, the natural meal of all political champions. Nourished, we returned to a full afternoon schedule, three guest speakers in a row. The first, Steven Jones, was the incoming director of the political advocacy organization Virginia 21. Virginia 21 was the first organization in the nation to lobby purely for the interest of college age students, an apparent anti-AARP, which tackled issue ranging from textbook costs and tuition rates, to finding jobs for young adults in Virginia. This presentation too, put a surprising twist on my view of politics, offering the perspective of someone hardly older than me, facing the same issues I face going into the college search, and meeting them with his own organization and mobilization of students. If that was a surprising perspective, the one, which followed, was even more shocking. Mostly shocking, because afterwards I discovered that our speaker, Joe Stanley, was a recent graduate of my very own high school.

Representing Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, an organization that unites progressive church groups with likeminded legislators, Joe was able to talk about blending faith and public service, advocacy and duty to higher ideals. While such things may seem like esoteric subjects resigned to ancient philosophers, he described them in anecdotes from Richmond neighborhoods I know and as a student from the same program I am in now. Finally, to offer what would seem the polar opposite perspective of a progressive organizer, we heard from Charlottesville police chief Tim Longo. Listening to him, the lessons of contradiction emerge again. We listened to a man who energetically jumped from discussing kicking in doors to the importance of building social capital, and its role in any democratically governed community. It would be an understatement to say I was surprised by his speech, because in reality the perspective he offered was totally unknown to me. His view is that of struggling to find the balance of security and community; especially the struggle of those entrusted to maintain security under the rule of law. In essence, he drew the link between the squad car and the founding fathers, explaining the importance of law enforcement in local government, as I had never seen it before. After lessons, we were again free to continue debate and discussion on our own. As for me, my day ended when a sudden rain shower interrupted an immigration debate on the Lawn: a fitting end for a day at Sorenson.

High School Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 4-Tuesday, July 13
Recorded by: Brooks Mears, Suffolk

Today, everyone made it downstairs to the lobby on time, finally. We walked to class and had to sit next to someone new. We were in for a great second day of class and speakers! We started off the day with a speaker, Mary Deviney. She introduced us to parliamentary procedure. From this, we took away knowledge from Robert’s Rule of Orders, as well as basic information on procedures used in the General Assembly and other legislative bodies such as school boards. She wrapped her discussion up with the simple fact that parliamentary procedure is always, “the will of the majority.”

Next, we divided up into groups to prepare presentations on the political history in Virginia. We discussed Virginia politics from the Byrd Machine starting in the 1920s through the 2009 election of Governor Bob McDonnell. After about an hour of discussion and preparation, we were ready to present to the entire class. Nikki’s bubbly personality as a talk show host and Mac’s special impression of President Obama left us with memories we will not soon forget!

After a delicious lunch provided by Chick-Fil-A, three more fantastic speakers awaited us. Tom Kramer, Steven Jones, and Brittany Tyler were the first speakers to address us after lunch. They spoke on behalf of a group called Virginia21. The group was founded to encourage young people to vote and to support the interests of college-level students in the country. Virginia21 is the only advocacy group of its kind in the country. Mr. Kramer talked about legislature that the group has pushed to pass, particularly the Textbook Market Fairness Act of 2004. The second speaker of the afternoon was Joe Stanley, an issue-based lobbyist for the Virginia Interfaith Power & Light. Mr. Stanley first explained that the negative connotation associated with ‘lobbyists’ is not always warranted. After a detailed explanation of a lobbyist’s role, he discussed religion as it relates to politics. Mr. Stanley made sure to emphasize how the Sorensen Institute’s High School Leader’s Program helped him with everything in life. Our final speaker of the day was the Police Chief of the City of Charlottesville, Tim Longo. His passion for his profession was obvious, and he did an excellent job of focusing on fundamentals that we could apply to all aspects of life. Chief Longo talked about building a police force around the community focusing on relationships and trusts. He really emphasized attacking the real problems not just the symptoms.

We are having a blast here at Sorensen on day 4! We’re continuing to bond as a group and have already developed many awesome friendships! Early morning tomorrow as we’re off to Alexandria!!

High School Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 5-Wednesday, July 14
Recorded by: Ben Harris, Grundy

5:29. My room was blissfully dark, and the air conditioner let out a soothing, steady drone. My roommate was undoubtedly asleep, and I was only on the fringe of consciousness. I was dimly aware that all was right with the world.

5:30. My room’s peaceful tranquility was shattered by my i-Pod alarm clock. On second thought, it probably wasn’t the best idea to have a high volume rock song as my alarm. I remember sitting in my bed, rubbing my bleary eyes, and wondering why on earth I was being woken up by my favorite band at my least favorite time. And then I remembered: I wasn’t a normal kid, who spent his summers sleeping until noon and playing video games. I was at a political leadership camp, and we were going to Alexandria.

I vaguely remember dressing in business professional and getting on the bus. The bus ride was pretty forgettable, and, truth be told, I’ve already forgotten it.

In Alexandria, we attracted a fair amount of attention. I guess most people aren’t used to the sight of twenty-six high school students in suits getting off a charter bus in the street. However, the city hall people seemed to expect us, so all was well. Mr. Frank Fannon, a member of the city council, was our first speaker for the day. He described how he got his start in politics in Alexandria. For me, the most memorable aspect of his presentation was his description of local elections. He told us that at a local level people vote for the candidate, not the party, which is good to know for a bunch of future political hopefuls.

Our next speaker was also pretty cool. A reporter from The Washington Post, Ms. Amy Gardner, told us what being a reporter was like and how hard it was to remain objective. We also got to hear about the upcoming election in Nevada; Ms. Gardner was actually flying to Nevada after speaking to us. After this, Mr. Terry McAuliffe presented to us. Being a former DNC chairman and having served on the campaigns of both Clintons and Jimmy Carter, he was like Kobe to us political nerds. After his amazing and charismatic presentation (I’d vote for him now), he even gave us autographed copies of his book, What a Party! Then we had lunch. It was great, but not very exciting.

Afterwards, though, we had two more awesome speakers, Delegate Bob Brink and Delegate David Bulova. Both of them spoke to us about the General Assembly, which turns out to be pretty cool. Delegate Brink explained the extremely complex redistricting process to us while Delegate Bulova gave us an overview of some important recent legislation. After the delegates, we were unfortunately done for the day, politically. Our next stop: Hard Times Café. We had a cool upper room all to ourselves, with pool tables and everything. All I needed were some cigars, and I would have fit in perfectly with my dark suit. Oh, and I could have used some pool skills; I was routinely trashed and embarrassed by the girls of my class.

Again, I don’t really remember the bus ride back, but now I’m here, writing this and listening to my favorite band and my favorite time: at the end of an awesome day. We, a bunch of high school kids, were spoken to by some of our state’s most important politicians. Most of us can’t even vote yet. Today, I got to feel like I was a political player (especially with the upper room pool playing). It was pretty cool for a high school political junkie.

High School Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 5-Wednesday, July 14
Recorded by: Matthew Mirliani, Alexandria

Today the group of students from the Sorensen Institute visited Alexandria, Virginia, a quaint colonial town on the Potomac River bordered by Arlington and Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The students excitedly piled onto the bus in the wee hours of the morning—specifically at 6:45 when the sun was just barely touching the horizon. The bus departed from Bice House on the UVA school campus and traveled for two and a half hours along the highway, passing by numerous cow fields, commercial areas, and picturesque, rural neighborhoods.

After stopping at a gas station for a quick snack and break, the students continued their venture until they arrived in the Alexandria city limits. The bus parked outside the city council building and the students filed out and gathered inside the lobby; when ready, councilman Fanning invited the Sorensen high school leaders into the main council room and began speaking to them about the demographic facts of Alexandria. The students were informed that Alexandria has 150,000 people within its limits and because of its dense and diverse population it is at times a challenge to govern all of them and address all of their necessities.

Alexandria, which was founded in 1749 and is one of the oldest cities in the U.S., he mentioned, was just recently listed as one of the top places to live in the United States by Money Magazine. Fanning also spoke about how elections and their results depend heavily upon the majority of voters who tend to be in the middle of the political spectrum that are considered “swing voters.” Amy Garner, a writer for the Washington Post spoke to the students about covering the midterm elections and her oncoming endeavor of seeking information from Republican candidate Engel in Nevada which is suffering a terrible economic crisis. This crisis, Garner says, is an “emblem” of the crisis occurring nationwide. She expounded upon the discussion by talking about how Harry Reed, the democratic candidate, is in hot water because since he is part of the winning party, many people are espousing negative feelings toward him and his other democratic compatriots because of the fiscal situation. “Party in control loses when the economy is doing badly,” Garner cleverly stated.

Terry McAuliffe also came to speak and brought his book “What a Party!” He talked about his experience with the Clinton family and other politicians and preached that people should have fun doing what they do in life. “If you`re not having fun, stop it,” he said as he took pictures with students after his presentation. Bob Brink, from the House of Delegates came to speak about the General Assembly and the terrible budget problems that Virginia has delved itself in. Delegate Bulova was the last speaker who spoke of the “swing” district that he represents and of the Chesapeake Bay`s environmental issues.

While in Alexandria the students visited and toured Gadsby`s Tavern which is where George Washington frequently ate his dinners and celebrated his birthday. The students also ate at Hard Times, a restaurant in Prince William County, ate burgers and fries, and ended the productive day playing billiards.