The Stats:

Presented at:
Lenawee Christian School

On-Site Coordinators:
Gary Smelser (LCS)
Laura Hopkins (LIFE)

Students attending: 51

VIPs:

Karol Bolton - Lenawee County Commissioner

Keith Brown - Field Rep. for Cong. Tim Walberg

Terry Collins - Adrian Chief of Police

Dan Drews - Lenawee Christian School History Teacher

Larry Gould - Former Lenawee County Commissioner

Tim Guest - Retired

Jerry Hayes - WLEN Radio Broadcaster

Kathleen Hayes - President, Right to Life of Lenawee

Deanne Henagan - Speech/Language Pathologist

Jeremiah Holdshire - Hillsdale Undersheriff

Emma Jenkins - Retired

John Jenkins - Retired

Nancy Jenkins - District Representative for Sen. Brown

Bob Knoblauch - Riga Township Supervisor

Carol Knoblauch - Administrative Assistant at Bethany Assembly of God

Jim Koehn - Adrian Township Supervisor

Larry Richardson - Lenawee County Sheriff

Harvey Warrick - Retired

Kris Yeutter - Lenawee Christian School Teacher

OnSite Report

Lenawee Area, November 19-20, 2007

Our last Onsite Program for the year included 51 students from Lenawee Christian School and LIFE (Lenawee Involved Family Education) home school coop in Adrian. We were joined by another stellar group of 20 local adult leaders including staff members from the offices of Congressman Tim Walberg and Senator Cameron Brown, Lenawee County Commissioners, the Adrian Chief of Police, the Undersherrif for Hillsdale County and the Riga and Adrian Township Supervisors. It is a great privilege to work with the LCS government teacher Gary Smelser and his team, along with LIFE Coordinator Laura Hopkins. Also, special thanks to Mrs. Ruth Merillat for her continued vision for Lenawee Christian and SSI.

In the News

Once again, SSI made the news. The Daily Telegram ran an excellent feature story on SSI. Some excerpts: "Lenawee Christian School students got a hands-on civics lesson when local officials came to debate issues with them on Tuesday. It's an excellent, excellent learning opportunity for the kids, lots of fun. We need young, bright minds in Lansing as well as Washington. I hope that they will say, 'Hey, I can do it. I can be a part of helping the community." (The Daily Telegram article is no longer available for free online. Paid subscribers can access it here.)

Adult Community Leader Participation

Although it takes an incredible effort to organize this part of our program, it pays big dividends in the learning process for the students. First, adult volunteers send an important signal that they think the teenage students are important enough to take the time from their busy schedules to interact with them. Second, the adult-level dialogue on the issues always sparks the students' critical thinking and creativity. There is a real change that takes place during the Committee Hearings in their attitude and approach to the "Legislative Process." Afterward you can see the spark in their eye, the enthusiasm in their words. In short, I think they realize that even though are young, they can successfully grapple with some of society's most difficult and controversial issues-and that they have something to contribute. So, let me say thank you to the 125 + community leaders who have participated in our Onsite Programs throughout Michigan this year.

Onsite Openings in the 2008 Schedule

The demand for our Onsite Program continues to increase. Right now, we have 5 Programs scheduled for the first two months of next year, some of which are open to participation by local home school students. All of the information and registration forms can be found on the Onsite page of our website.

Photo Gallery

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