High School Students Learn About the Balance of Power at Civic Leadership Academy

For two weeks this summer, 23 outstanding New Hampshire high school students called Saint Anselm College home, as they took part in the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ inaugural Civic Leadership Academy.

The academy is an intensive residential summer program that allows students to study and experience state and local government in New Hampshire. Sam Tombarelli, a New Hampshire civics teacher from Portsmouth High School, was recruited to lead this year’s learning, along with a wide range of guest speakers, including Gov. John Lynch, state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro and former N.H. House Speaker Donna Sytek. Saint Anselm professors Michael Dupre, sociology; Gary Bouchard, English; Dale Kuehne and Peter Josephson, politics, as well as NHIOP visiting scholar Dean Spiliotes, took part.

As well as interacting with New Hampshire’s public, private, and nonprofit sector leaders, CLA participants debated policy challenges facing the state and planned projects for addressing some of those challenges over 14 consecutive days of academic High School Students Learn About the Balance of Power at Civic Leadership Academy and practical preparation in state government.

“In an era when young people are often chastised for being uninterested or disengaged, these 23 students demonstrated that they are concerned with real political issues and eager to play a role in solving some difficult public challenges from tax policy to welfare reform,” Anne Botteri, NHIOP executive director, said. “We are confident that CLA will become an important element of the NHIOP's external educational programming.”