HSLP 2010: Day 5, Wednesday, July 14

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.