COVENANT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2008

PENNSYLVANIA’S EARLIEST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
SET FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18^TH

Local High School Suspends All Classes for Extraordinary Week-Long Event

Harrisburg, Pa – Hillary Clinton tapes a new television ad, John McCain stands before the cameras on the evening news, Barack Obama records the Late Show while Mitt Romney and John Edwards pass in the hall.  All of that is occurring this week in Harrisburg, Pa., where a local high school, Covenant Christian Academy (CCA), has suspended all of its regular classes to become a microcosm of this year’s presidential campaign. 

“Truthfully, we are somewhat surprised at what an exciting event our first annual Seminar Week has become,” said Covenant Christian Academy’s Upper School Principal Robyn Burlew.  “It is a week of enjoyable learning where, through imagination and role play, students are learning the details of how our country elects a president, and some of the current issues that face our nation and the world.”

Every student in Covenant Christian Academy’s (CCA’s) seventh through twelfth grades has been given a job to do.  Six pose as candidates, others serve as their campaign staffs or members of the print and broadcast media, even pop culture voices are all working to mimic the process of a true-to-life national election.  The regular class schedule has been set aside for the entire week to accommodate the event. 

Six students are playing the parts of the currently leading presidential candidates: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee.  Each candidate has a campaign manager, assistant manager and a press secretary.  Together they research their candidates’ views, write speeches, and prepare for debates—all with the goal of properly representing the platform of their “real life” candidate.

Two newspapers, one liberal and one conservative, are being published three times during the week.  A television news crew works to put together three nightly news broadcasts. 
The press fills their school days with interviews of candidates, internet research on hot-button issues and text writing.  Donned with laminated press passes, they attend all speeches and debates ready to ask tough questions.  On Thursday afternoon, February 17, the media will endorse four of the six candidates who will then move on to the primary elections. 

A third group of students gives voice to the cultural response to all the political activity.  Songs, both patriotic and protest, are being written.  Political cartoons are distributed.  Even a late night television show is being produced. 

To prepare students to be knowledgeable participants in the process, Covenant Christian Academy’s faculty began the week by presenting seminars on the historical and governmental aspects of presidential campaigns, illegal immigration, current political issues in science, foreign policy and pop culture’s influence on and reaction to presidential politics. 

All the effort will culminate in the debate, primary election and general election scheduled for Friday, February 18.  Even the electoral college system is included in the process as students will vote according to their home school districts each of which is allotted a number of electoral votes proportionate to their representation in CCA’s student body.  Students are encouraged to “get out the vote” by inviting their parents to come in to vote also.  Fifth and sixth grade students will participate in the primary and general elections.