Waiting for the cameras to roll.

The Consortium once again convened high school students from across Pennsylvania, this time to hear their views on what it means to be part of a civil society.

Approximately 90 students traveled to Harrisburg on Nov. 19 to prepare for the hearing, set for  the next day at the Whitaker Center for Performing Arts. This year’s topic, “My Role in a Civil Society,” required students to consider the cultures in their schools and neighborhoods, civic engagement, the value of social networks, and their own personal connections to the community and the world.

Pennsylvania’s First Lady, Federal Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, who met with students at the hearing last year, returned to take part in the 2007 event, reflecting her continuing interest in improving civic education for students in Grades K-12, including upgraded civics and government standards.

The hearing was the third gathering of students in as many years, all designed to give young people across Pennsylvania a chance to be heard on educational issues that impact their lives. This year’s topic required students to consider the cultures in their schools and neighborhoods, civic engagement, the value of social networks, and their own personal connections to the community and the world.

The 2007 forum was videotaped and took place on the stage of the Whitaker Center for Performing Arts. Students from East Allegheny, McKeesport Area, West Mifflin Area, Philadelphia, Oliver, Trinity, Liberty, Lebanon, Hollidaysburg and SciTech high schools participated.

Judge Rendell, who was the keynote speaker at the dinner and work session the night before taping, was introduced by Pennsylvania Bar Association President Andrew Susko. Congratulating the students for their involvement and welcoming them to the state capital, the judge said she was pleased to see an open dialogue designed to bring schools together to interact, to air common concerns and explore differences.

“This is what our great nation is built upon,” the First Lady said. “We bring you here as individuals, but you come together to exercise your civility. You represent the future…the active, thoughtful citizenry of our country. She went on to say, “Tomorrow you have a very basic American opportunity…We need you to seize it and take it forward.”

Sharing moments from American history, Judge Rendell referenced Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin and his Silence Dogood letters, which she defined as an exercise in civic engagement and an evaluation of self. (The letters were written in the early 1700’s by Franklin, using a pseudonym, to The New England Courant, the first newspaper in Boston, and addressed issues of the day.)

Monday night's hearing preparations stirred some lively discussions as these photos show.






Chaperones Paul Seyfert and Tammy Connors (back to photographer) from Lebanon High School quickly debrief with their students after the hearing.


Students relax with boxed lunches after three hours under hot lights!

Pennsylvania First Lady Marjorie O. Rendell listens in on students' final prepartations for the hearing.

Judge Rendell noted, “It is no longer enough to teach the ‘3 R’s’ in school…There needs to be…reading, writing and arithmetic as well as civic rights and civic responsibility. All are part of our basic lives. We can no longer ‘leave it up to democracy.’ You ARE democracy… the ability of the individual to do the right thing.”

Judge Rendell supports the Pennsylvania Coalition for Representative Democracy (PennCORD), a partnership that is jointly led by the National Constitution Center, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Governor’s Office of the First Lady. PennCORD is committed to improving civic education for students in Grades K-12, including upgraded civics and government standards.

In addition to her role as First Lady, Marjorie Rendell currently serves as a Federal Judge on the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In developing civic education as the cornerstone of her mission as First Lady, Judge Rendell took into consideration the importance of leveraging her interest in the historical heritage of Pennsylvania and its impact on the formation of our democracy as well as her perspective and experience as a federal judge.

Following dinner Judge Rendell, Susko, Consortium Executive Director, Dr. Linda L. Croushore, and Consortium staff members joined students for table discussions revolving around 12 questions linked to the hearing topic.

During the prep session, students were given the challenge of electing a lead speaker based on his or her passion and eloquence at the discussion table.  Those 12 students were initial respondents to the taped questions. Additional time was allotted for students with follow-up responses. Three hours of student testimony was filmed and will be reduced to a 54-minute program. The Consortium will send the legislature a copy as well as air the footage with help from its broadcasting partner Comcast.

The hearing was presented in partnership with the Outreach to Children and Law-Related Education Communities of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, The office of the First Lady of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PennCORD, and the Public Education Network (PEN), which provided funding. PEN is the Consortium’s national organization.

“In each of the past two years, we have brought students together to discuss how various aspects of the federal No Child Left Behind law have impacted their schools and their lives,” said Stephen G. Seliy, CPE’s associate executive director and the coordinator for the event.

In 2006, the hearing centered on the question, “Are We Ready?” Students were asked to reflect on how well their schools prepared them for the next steps (college, work, etc.) in their lives. The 2005 hearing took place in Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania Bar Association President Andrew Susko sits in on a table conversation.


SciTech High School students from Harrisburg took a break at the piano.

Click here to read about the 2006 hearing.