High School Leaders

 Members of the Sorensen Institute staff and regional boards have completed an exhaustive review of a record number of highly qualified applicants for admission to the 2013 College Leaders and High School Leaders Programs. We're proud to announce the College Leaders Program Class of 2013 and the High School Leaders Program Class of 2013! These students have proven themselves to be active and engaged citizens in their communities. We can't wait for them to join us in Charlottesville this summer!

College Leaders Program Class of 2013

Maggie Anderson, Roanoke College; Madison
Aaron Barden, Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond
Elias Bekri, Radford University; Moneta
Christopher Boden, Hampden-Sydney College; Washington, D.C.
Rachel Brooks, The College of William and Mary; Virginia Beach
Jory Bunn, Old Dominion University; Virginia Beach
Joniel Cha, The University of Virginia; Leesburg
Andres Chovil, George Mason University; Annandale
Kate Cude, Piedmont Virginia Community College; Charlottesville
Emily Dean-McKinney, The College of Wooster; Charlottesville
Chase Grogg, Hampden-Sydney College; Williamsburg
Brendan Hood, Virginia Commonwealth University; Colonial Heights
Toni Jones, George Mason University; Richmond
Zhina Kamali, Virginia Commonwealth University; Vienna
Daniel Ku, Virginia Commonwealth University; Fairfax
Max Maurer, Hampden-Sydney College; Oak Hill
Claire Nadolski, Lynchburg College; Virginia Beach
Colman Packard, Hampden-Sydney University; Charlottesville
Richard Pantele, Hampden-Sydney College; Richmond
David Snyder, Christopher Newport University; Fairfax
Stephanie Tipple, The University of Mary Washington; Warwick, RI
Blake Wheelock, The University of Virginia; Lynchburg
Andrew Whitley, Virginia Tech; Chilhowie
Jermayne Wright, Virginia State University; Norfolk

High School Leaders Program Class of 2013

Tyler Ambrose, William Fleming and Roanoke Valley Governor’s School, Roanoke
Sarah Ashman, Douglas S. Freeman High School, Richmond
Eric Asplund, Douglas S. Freeman High School, Henrico
Hayley Batten, Jamestown High School, Williamsburg
Jack Boettger, George C. Marshall High School, Vienna
Thomas Cannella, Poquoson High School, Poquoson
David Cohn, Charlottesville High School, Charlottesville
Mason Davenport, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Henrico
Alana Davitt, Norfolk Academy, Virginia Beach
Tim Dodson, Western Albemarle High School, Charlottesville
Sofa Getachew, Washington-Lee High School, Arlington
Oscar Guardado, James River High School, Richmond
Nicole Jackson, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Richmond
Isa Kivlighan, Stuart Hall School, Staunton
Emma Leeds Armstrong, Monticello High School, Charlottesville
Mattie Leibowitz, West Potomac High School, Alexandria
Rachel Lim, Deep Run High School, Henrico
Eddie Lin, Tallwood High School, Virginia Beach
Sarah Mosley, Yorktown High School, Arlington
Brian Murray, Cape Henry Collegiate School, Virginia Beach
Owen O’Hare, Carlisle School, Chatham
Meriwether Roberts, Collegiate School, Richmond
Amar Singh, South Lakes High School, Herndon
Rhea Somaiya, The Madeira School, Fairfax
Shaarada Srivatsa, Charlottesville High School, Charlottesville
Yash Tekriwal, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Glen Allen
Elisha Untiedt, Chilhowie High School, Marion
Peyton Wall, Fuqua School, Farmville
Sophie Webb, Western Albemarle High School, Charlottesville
Benjamin Zook, Loudoun Valley High School, Lovettsville

High School Leaders Program 2012
Day 15: Saturday, July 21
Reported by: James Bollinger, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

After waking up and meeting our parents, we walked to Garret Hall for graduation.

Executive Director Bob Gibson, Director of Youth Programs Lauren Gilbert, Dr. Stephen Bragaw and Honorable John Hager all gave thoughtful and inspiring addresses.

Lester Coleman was our elected class speaker. He gave a great send-off address, which brought back highlights of the two weeks and also captured perfectly the dynamic and bonds that have formed among us as a class.

Sean McIntosh and Karen Xia were awarded the Spirit of Citizenship Awards. Congratulations to all the graduates!

After graduation, we walked back to Bice Hall for the final time. Leaving was sad, but I’m sure I speak for all us when I say we will take many memories and lessons from our two weeks at Sorensen. It’s hard to leave, but I look forward to seeing you all at a reunion soon!

The HSLP Class of 2012 now has its own alumni page featuring the class photo as well as individual photos and bios. 

 

High School Leaders Program 2012
Day 13: Thursday, July 19
Sean McIntosh, Edison High School (Alexandria) and Emily Votroubek, Broad Run High School (Ashburn)

As Sorensen's HSLP is coming to a close, we are all feeling the pressures of our final culminating projects. Throughout the week, we have been consulting with our both our groups and advisors on our projects, trying to fine tune every aspect of our proposals. Everyone is stressing about the projects tomorrow; however, we are all very excited to reach the home stretch.

Today, with our last day of the Thoughtful Citizen, Dr. Bragaw ended the class with the Budget Game. In this game, we had to divide our class into two separate groups, the House and the Senate. The morning started off with both sides breaking off to formulate their own separate budget proposals. After a few hours of intense discussion, both groups were divided into their own separate halves, to meet up with the opposition to start budget committees. These budget committee meetings were very heated, but in the end, both sides met in the middle to form a productive conclusion.

After a short intermission for lunch, we had renewed vigor to participate in discussions. However, this time, everyone met up with their respective sides to have the general debate on both budget proposals formulated by the two committees. After around two hours of intense discussion, it was time to vote between the two different proposed budget plans. In the end, Conference Committee One’s proposal reigned supreme, receiving the vast majority of both houses.

Afterwards, we had the luxury of some free time. However, this time was short-lived as we quickly had to convene with culminating project groups to prepare for any last-minute decisions before our mock presentations with the Youth Program Managers and Lauren. Throughout the evening, they provided essential information in order to further improve our projects. Yet, this was not just any random day. Tonight, all the Sorensen students celebrated one of our favorite YPM’s birthday. We planned a fantastic surprise birthday party for Troy, and everyone had a great time! There was plenty of cake and drinks, and there was even sparkling cider! All in all, this will be one of the most memorable moments at Sorensen, and we will surely miss it.
 

High School Leaders Program 2012
Day 12: Wednesday, July 18
Reported by: Jasmine Parham, King’s Fork High School (Suffolk) and Matthew Watts Grafton High School (Yorktown)

Early in the morning, we all boarded a bus excited to be going to the Richmond. After arriving and going through security, we headed to the House Chamber to meet Del. Jennifer McClellan. She spoke to us about how she became interested in politics and becoming a delegate. Following our astute dialouge with Del. McClellan, Ms. Generra Peck spoke to us on how it was working in the office of the Governor.

Right before lunch, we met with Atty. Gen. Ken Cuccinelli, who spoke on political style. After a nice, filling lunch, we met with Todd Haymore, Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. He gave us insight into the agriculture and forestry business and how it affects Virginia's economy. We then went on a wonderful tour of Virginia's beautiful Capitol building, spotting statues of great Virginian political leaders like Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

After the tour we spoke to Del. David Toscano, the Democratic Minority Leader, about how we could improve our culminating projects. At 2 p.m., we met with Rick Savage, President and Founder of Media Directions, which provides sound strategic advice in addition to direct mail. Afterwards, we took a tour of the first floor of the Governor's Mansion, seeing its original rooms with antique furniture. Our final speaker of the day was former Del. Bill Janis, who now serves the veterans of the United States.

Finally, it was time for dinner at the Capital Ale House. With a delicious meal in our belly we were now on our way from Richmond back to Charlottesville to work on our culminating projects! 

High School Leaders Program 2012
Day 11: Tuesday, July 17
Reported by: Grace Charlton, Battlefield High School and Gowri Buddiga, Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies

The Sorensen HSLP started off the day with an interesting discussion regarding decisions in policy-making by Dr. Bragaw. We were all engaged as he explained how leaders make decisions and the power of unexpected consequences. Using Watergate as an example, he further discussed with the class how politics evolves over time with changing demographics and technology.

After a delicious lunch of sandwiches from Mona Lisa Pasta, all of us Sorensen students were put through a resumé building workshop with Barbara Kessler, a faculty member of U.Va.'s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. She discussed with us how our resume will change as we age and earn more qualifications. Next, we began to watch All the President's Men, a movie portraying the journalist's point of view about the Watergate scandal, which was a relevant continuation of this morning's discussion.

Then, we finished our class day with the remainder of guest speakers. The first of them was Mary Loose DeViney, who discussed the relevance of parliamentary procedure in the debate and decision-making process. She emphasized throughout the presentation that parliamentary procedure was created with a system that respected the opinion of the minority, while letting the majority prevail. The second of our speakers was John Scott, the chairman of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia. In his presentation, the class learned of the organization's partisan activities throughout the Commonwealth.

We all enjoyed kebabs for dinner and worked long into the night with our policy groups on culminating projects. Tired from a fun day at Sorensen, HSLP students were glad to get some sleep before tomorrow's big trip to Richmond.

High School Leaders Program Class of 2012
Day 10: Monday, July 16
Reported by: Marc Petrine, Maggie L. Walker Governor's School and Karen Xia, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

After a short and restful weekend, we were all ready for a fun-filled day with Dr. Steve Bragaw. We spent a whopping six hours listening to our eloquent teacher speak about policy paradox, Brazil’s government led by the charismatic President Lula, and the recent controversial health care reform.

During our morning session, Dr. Bragaw critiqued our culminating project ideas and elaborated on our assigned reading. Regarding policy paradox, he explained that there are three parts to every public policy model: reasoning, society and policymaking. Dr. Bragaw was so enthusiastic about policy paradox and equality that he brought in two delicious plates of brownies to share with the class. After the morning session, we enjoyed even more treats during lunch in the form of wraps and cookies from Revolutionary Soup.

After the delectable lunch, Mr. Bob Gibson visited us to discuss our group projects further. He questioned every group thoroughly on their topic and offered some insight on communicating with the media. Bob also grilled one member of our class, Will, and had an interesting conversation with him on topics ranging from local government to gay marriage. Then, Mr. Gibson unfortunately had to depart.

In the afternoon session with Dr. Bragaw, he expounded upon the Affordable Care Act (or “Obamacare”) about which the Supreme Court recently set a historic precedent. We discussed the implications of this act and how it will impact future generations. It was a relevant and interesting topic to wrap up the class.

We concluded our workday with a wonderful barbecue dinner hosted by Room 203. We are continuing to work very hard on our papers and proposals for the final culminating project. We look forward to tomorrow with eager minds. 

High School Leaders Program Class of 2012
Day 9: Sunday, July 15, 2012
Reported by: Laura Houchens, Douglas Southall Freeman High School (Richmond) and FitzHugh Johnson, Fredericksburg Academy

We woke up this morning well-rested and ready to start the day. Some went to Bodo's Bagels, but most just relaxed in our dorms and did some chores. It was a happy day for everyone because of the relaxed schedule, giving everyone the ability to take a breather and rest. We met for lunch at noon in Bice House. Lunch was catered by The Market and contained sandwiches, chips and a cookie.

After lunch we headed to the lawn for a public speaking lesson. Tony Sanchez, a professional actor, taught us how to utilize our voices when speaking to a crowd through correct phonetics and intonation.

After a quick break to change, we went to the parking lot for a fun activity to put a big smile on everyone's faces! We played a game called "gladiator" which was run by Troy Ehardt and Todd Galyean. After a long and competitive water balloon battle, James and Marc, roommates and close friends, entered the arena for the championship round. Although James was victor, they shook hands like gentlemen and put their differences behind them.

Dinner was soon to come; Chipotle was on the way. After a little Mexican fiesta, we parted ways and started working in our groups for the culminating project. With a 12 a.m. deadline, each group buckled down to complete the literature review. After tiring work, we are ready to get to bed and wake up for another busy day!

High School Leaders Program Class of 2012
Day 7: Friday, July 13
Reported by: Suchita Chharia, Loudoun Valley High School and Bella Blackney, Global Studies & World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School (Virginia Beach)

We awoke this morning knowing today would unfortunately be our last class with Mr. Marc Johnson and the end of the program’s first session, “The Informed Citizen.” We began the class with “takeaways” where we discussed what we learned in our last class or during the program. Excitingly enough, Mr. Johnson announced Group Three was the winner of Wednesday’s presentation on the development of American parties. All members of the group were awarded a delicious scone from a local bakery.

Next, Mr. Johnson divided the room into four groups and each group was assigned to discussing the executive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch or local government. Each group then shared what was discussed within their groups. Dillion’s rule and checks and balances were emphasized during the discussion. We then discussed our homework articles on education reform and transportation. There was some great discussion with many interesting and diverse perspectives offered. Also, we discussed campaigns and watched some real campaign videos. After dissecting the videos, we realized how certain details (such as defensive tactics, traditional family appearances, etc.) were carefully planned to send specific messages to viewers.

Following the videos, we were put into groups and challenged to make our own campaigns. Each group represented Romney, Obama, Kaine or Allen and each group then shared their information and radio ads. Now with only minutes left of the class, Mr. Johnson had us answer four brief evaluation questions. While we were answering these questions, he gave us a heartfelt summary of his experience with us this past week. Although he only taught us for five days, we have learned so much in these past days and what Mr. Johnson taught us has truly left a mark on our political treasure chests of knowledge.

After a delicious lunch of pizza from Mellow Mushroom, we returned to our seats quickly to each gain four Sorensen points. Our first speaker of the day was Connie Jorgensen, who walked us through a short simulation of how a bill makes it way through the legislature process with a proposed 5-cent tax on cans of soda. Our bill failed. But the most important part was Ms. Jorgensen answering our questions on what she will be looking for during the final presentations of our culminating projects. Then we had an entertaining speaker by the name of Waldo Jaquith, the creator of Richmond Sunlight and vacode.org. These two websites are useful to us because they allow groups to check for previous legislature relating to our culminating project topics.

With class adjourning at 3 p.m. today, we walked back to Bice to finish the first drafts of our preliminary reports. At dinner we were greeted by various types of soups and cornbread. Following dinner, quite a few of us walked to the corner to pick up some basics at CVS, to see if the book store was open or to grab a drink at Starbucks. We finished the night with finalizing our reports while debating details and grammatical errors. We're halfway through our time at Sorensen and we've grown closer to each other through our hard work. We look forward to what second week will bring with a trip to Richmond, media training, final presentations and graduation. 

High School Leaders Program Class of 2012
Day 2: Sunday, July 8, 2012
Reported by: Ryan LaMura, Benedictine College Preparatory

The march from the dorms to the ropes course early this morning can only be described in one word: scorching. However, the heat of the day could not break the spirits of each young leader. We were warmly welcomed by the ropes staff and preceded to the course.

Once there and firmly strapped in, each student attempted to scale a rickety pole and claim a small victory. Although many were initially afraid, each and every student managed to overcome any fear they may have had and were able to complete the course. 

As the day wore on, and the heat continued to increase, we were moved inside to what was considered by many as the best part of the day. We were once again split into two rival groups and went through various team building activities. One activity that truly stood out dealt with the removal of radioactive material from a containment zone. When I say radioactive material I mean tennis balls in a can, and when I say containment zone I’m referring to the large rope surrounding said can. To make this task even more difficult, nine out of the ten students were blindfolded and had to accept instructions from the one lucky individual who had the gift of sight. We were able to successfully navigate through each obstacle with great leadership and teamwork.

To test the various skills we had just learned we challenged our rival group to a game of “tank”. This wondrous game involved blindfolding a partner and leading them to “ammo”, once again tennis balls, and then helping them find an opposing team member. The team with the last one standing won. Although this was a crazy activity, the message of teamwork and communication seemed to be made clear to each young leader.

To finish off the night, all of the students gathered in room 202 for a dinner surprise. The mystery meal of the day was a Mexican feast which was welcomed by all. Although today was only the first day, it is clear that bonds have already been formed between the program members, students and staff included.
 
Look below for more pictures from our day: