YMCA Youth and Government Washington State

60th/20th Press Release
Click here to see the file

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 12:00 AM

Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo, other than personal use, must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 or e-mail resale@seattletimes.com with your request.

Morrie Low

Guest columnist
Making politics our own

By Morrie Low
Special to The Times

The 2008 presidential election is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in American history, especially for my generation. It will be the first time many of us are able to vote. But there are still worries of political apathy among youth, begging the question: Do kids really care?

I am a high-school senior and can tell you that the answer is "yes."

Students can learn about civics in more places than just their classrooms, and Washington state is a better place when they do. Many of our region's prominent leaders in government, business and law started their political interests early and have gone on to populate our daily news.

But fame isn't the goal. Teenagers need to grow into adulthood with a better understanding of our political processes and their role in our democracy. They will be better people if they do.

This year, following adjournment of the Washington Legislature, teenagers from across the state are in Olympia putting their own unique experiences to the test. For many, this is their first glimpse of "the real world," and they take it seriously. Using knowledge gained throughout the year, they are drafting, proposing, debating and hopefully passing their own pieces of legislation. They are tackling real-life issues, such as global warming, immigration, gun control and abortion, as well as lighter topics that keep politics fun and interesting. In this way, they are making it their own.

For students, there has never been an easier time to "make it your own." The tools of our generation make sure of that. Presidential candidates are announcing their candidacies on the Internet. Blogs are spreading news faster than any time in history. And MySpace has become the medium of choice for insiders in our nation's capital to become "friends" with people around the country. And, in what is shaping up to be the longest presidential race in history, we have two years to pay attention in real time.

We can also make it our own with a newspaper at the breakfast table, a podcast on our iPod or a discussion group on the Internet. We can discuss important issues with our parents, teachers and friends. Or, we can write to our state legislators and members of Congress about a topic we simply find interesting.

However we do it, making an active contribution is the first step to becoming part of a productive democracy. Not all of us aspire to political office. We may become doctors, lawyers, teachers or scientists. But the lessons we learn about our government now will help us in our futures, whatever they may be.

Students should pride themselves on being informed not only about politics, but in the legislative process, and I hope more teenagers take the time to pay attention to our democratic institutions. We are the future, and learning about government, public policy and our political process is important. Make this time your own. You might even have fun doing it.

Morrie Low, a senior at Stevenson High School, in Stevenson, Skamania County, is the 60th youth governor for the YMCA Youth Legislature, which meets in Olympia May 2-5. For more information about YMCA Youth & Government, visit www.youthandgovernment.org
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

NEWS RELEASE

1^st place: Seattle Prep	2^nd place: University Prep
3^rdplace: Franklin	4^th place: Eastside Catholic
5^th place: Archbishop Murphy	6^th place: Seattle Prep (2^nd team)
7^th place: Meridian	8^th place: Tri-Cities Prep
9^th place: Kennewick	10^th place: Port Townsend

Schedule for the morning is as follows:

7:30 a.m. Check in

Fort Vancouver High School senior John Endresen, a defense attorney on the school’s mock trial team, rehearses Thursday for the state tournament that begins today. It is the school’s 15th consecutive appearance at state. (JANET L. MATHEWS/The Columbian)

Mock trial guru seeks change

Friday, March 24, 2006
By STEPHANIE RICE, Columbian staff writer

"These kids," Chris Gourley said more than once Thursday, as she tried getting her mock trial team to focus. "They are going to be the death of me."

The good-natured Fort Vancouver High School teacher has been saying that since 1992, when her first team won the district title and advanced to the state mock trial tournament. Every team since has done the same.

But as she watched her attorneys and witnesses rehearse Thursday for the tournament that begins today, Gourley said this trip to the Thurston County Courthouse in Olympia may be her last.

"I'm tired," she said.

A lot has changed in 15 years.

The team used to be made up of students in Gourley's business law class. Now, more than 100 students in the school's legal magnet program try out for one of 14 spots. The "courtroom" used to be made by rearranging desks and chairs; now, Fort has a courtroom.

The Trappers won three state titles in the 1990s and have finished as high as 19th in national competition.

Building such a successful program has taken a toll on Gourley, who said she will teach for two more years but has asked to be transferred to a different school.

"I'm ready for a change."

Senior Barbara Nellor, a prosecutor, said Gourley puts all of her energy into getting the team ready for competition.

"She sometimes seems to care more than we do, because she wants us to have the best possible experience."

Nellor plans to attend Pacific Lutheran University and then law school.

Gourley, who has a law degree, has watched a dozen of her former students become attorneys. Another 10 are in law school, said Gourley, who became a teacher because she wanted more time with her two children. (Plus she's married to an attorney and didn't want both parents working 60-hour weeks.)

Senior John Endresen, a defense attorney, doesn't plan a law career. He's going to the University of Portland School of Nursing.

"Ms. Gourley is what makes this program great," he said.

Mock trial attracts students from different high school cliques, he said, and Gourley helps them work toward a common goal of delivering a sharp presentation.

To that end, Gourley recruits professionals.

District Court Judge Rich Melnick has been helping Fort for 13 years.

"(Gourley's) enthusiasm hasn't waned one bit," Melnick said. "She gets really excited every year. It's infectious to the kids. She sees it as a real opportunity to help the kids grow and get a lot of confidence."

Her favorite thing about mock trial? There's always room for improvement.

"They are never done," Gourley said. "There's always this new thing that they are excited to try."

After 15 years of coaching mock trial, Gourley knows the feeling.

Stephanie Rice covers the courts and was a member of Fort Vancouver's 1992 mock trial team. Reach her at 360-759-8004 or stephanie.rice@columbian .com.

Did you know?

Each mock trial team has a prosecution and a defense squad. Each squad has three attorneys and four witnesses.

Trials run about two hours and are based on a fictional case written by an attorney.

Clark County schools in the 20-team state tournament, which begins today, are Fort Vancouver, Camas, Heritage, Hudson's Bay and Ridgefield.

The Columbian Publishing Co. copyright & permissions rules

All materials appearing in The Columbian are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of The Columbian Publishing Company or the party credited as the provider of the content. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database. However you may download from columbian.com such content for your own personal, noncommercial use but only if you make only one machine readable copy and/or one print copy. You may not alter or remove any copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder identified in the individual content's copyright notice.

To obtain permission to photocopy content of The Columbian, contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923; FAX (978) 750-4470, or www.copyright.com. All other requests for permission should be directed via email to archives@columbian.com.

Media Releases and Press

Lorrie.Thompson@courts.wa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY

PRESS RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY