Meredith Tilp and some students from a few of her history classes at Capital High School participated Oct. 28 in the Yale Debate Project. This project gathered high-school students from other high schools in Delaware, Chicago and Philadelphia to discuss the recent election and the top two presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain.

Some of the issues that were debated: taxes, foreign policy, health care and education.

"I was thrilled that Capital High School and the district allowed us to participate in the debate with four other districts," Tilp said.

"Students at Capital High are the best, they are the future. It is their state and their world."

The debate took root at Yale University during the summer when Tilp attended the annual democracy curriculum.

"We had a brilliant professor, Ian Shapiro, who lighted the way for us to learn about democracy through The Federalist Papers," Tilp said. "We helped each other be better teachers."

The debate was mostly for Tilp's government and economics classes but allowed some of her U.S. history students to participate. Among the students who participated were juniors Johnny Glaze, Julie Riley and Anton Terrell.

"I feel it was a great opportunity," Glaze said. "I was glad I was a part of this. (I think it's important) because we can influence more people."

Glaze encourages teens to be part of debates because "anything that affects our country, (teens) should be aware." He said their voice and opinion are important.

"It's a great opportunity," Riley said. "It makes me feel good about doing something for my school. Students
don't get the chance to have an opinion. It's nice to get that chance."

Adults can also learn about the election and the school system.

"What it taught me is that teachers need to take calculated risks and rely on the process," Tilp said. "I learned firsthand from 9/11 that young people are courageous, full of heart and really need to be informed about our global community."



Amanda Martinez is a junior at Capital High School. You can reach her at mandamtz@yahoo.com.