HSLP 2009: Day 9, July 19

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