** * MEDIA ALERT * * *
** * PHOTO OPPORTUNITY * * *
Illinois High School Students Head to State Capitol for
International Civic Education Program
WHEN:
Between 1:15 and 2:00 on Thursday, March 10, several State Senators and Representatives will meet, in their respective offices, with their district’s school groups.
Friday, March 11, 2005, 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Live debate in House Chamber from
1:00-2:00 p.m. (approximately), followed by discussion between students, legislators, and policymakers.
WHERE:
Illinois State House, Springfield
WHAT:
6th Annual Illinois Capitol Forum on America’s Future: a live debate between high school students concerning our nation’s role in a changing international climate, addressing such issues as the environment, terrorism, the global economy, and immigration. More than 100 Illinois students gather on the State House floor to craft their own vision for America’s future, the results of which are shared with elected officials and policymakers on local and state levels.
Through the assistance of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, Capitol Forum will be streamed live on the internet www.ilga.gov. This will enable high school social studies classrooms across the state to experience this dynamic program as it is happening in the House Chamber.
WHO:
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is expected to meet with students in his office for a photo op and short discussion around noon on Friday, March 11.
High School students and Social Studies teachers from the following Illinois schools:
Judah Christian School, Champaign
Amundsen High School, Chicago
El Cuarto Año Alternative High School, Chicago
Saint Scholastica Academy, Chicago
Hinsdale South High School, Darien
Elgin Academy, Elgin
SIUE-E St. Louis Charter School, East St. Louis
Eureka High School, Eureka
Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor
Greenville High School, Greenville
Joliet West High School, Joliet
Bureau Valley High School, Manlius
Newark High School, Newark
Normal Community High School, Normal
Normal West Community High School, Normal
University High School, Normal
Maine South High School, Park Ridge
Pawnee High School, Pawnee
Streamwood High School, Streamwood
BACKGROUND:
The Illinois Humanities Council, along with the Secretary of State’s Office, offers the sixth Illinois Capitol Forum on America’s Future. The project, coordinated nationally by the Choices for the 21st Century Education Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute of International Studies, is intended to lay a foundation for student debate on contested current and historical issues.
Illinois is one of 13 states chosen by Brown University to participate in its Choices initiative.
This year’s Capitol Forum was sponsored in part by a grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation (MTF). The MTF grant helped supply materials and resources for teachers and accommodations and transportation for students.
The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.
D A R E T O K N O W
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