Monday, February 26, 2001

By Sandra Jontz
Washington bureau

WASHINGTON — Two students attending military system schools in Europe have been chosen as delegates for the 39th Annual United States Senate Youth Program and will travel to the nation’s capital to study government.

Audrey Slayton, a senior at SHAPE High School in Belgium, and Steven Boscovitch, a senior at London Central High School, will represent the Department of Defense Dependents Schools during the weeklong conference March 3 to 10.

"When I learned that I had been accepted as a delegate to the conference I was in utter disbelief," said Boscovitch. "I was simply amazed that out of all of the DODDS students who applied and competed, I was one of only two students picked to represent all of DODDS."

Slayton said she hopes the conference will give her first-hand insight.

"I hope to broaden my understanding of how the United States government ticks," she said. "Because I think to see it and live it in person will definitely be more thorough than a U.S. government textbook."

The 104 students selected to participate in the conference each receive a $2,000 college scholarship.

The program, sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, brings high school students to Washington, D.C., for an on-site introduction into the functions of the federal government and, in particular, the U.S. Senate.

The delegation is made up of two students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity, which oversees the military school system.

Slayton, 17, is a student council representative and ranks first in her class. She plans to attend Grove City College in Grove City, Pa., to study engineering. She is an avid thespian, a member of the varsity swim team, soccer team, president of the National Honor Society and active with community volunteer projects — including a recent project in the Czech Republic. Her hobbies include drawing, playing piano and writing.

"I want to come into the program ready to give the ‘military kid’ spin on things," she said. "I want to go into it ready to explain how the new proposed education programs under the Bush administration would affect military schools overseas. Thousands of kids receiving their education through the DODDS system would be affected by the new initiatives."

Boscovitch, 17, also is a student council representative and ranks second in his class academically. He plans to study computer engineering and business administration. He is a student adviser and business manager for his high school’s yearbook, a member of the National Honor Society and Model United Nations. He tutors students in math, science, and computer science and volunteers at the local primary school. His hobbies include experimenting with computers, volunteering, and keeping up with current events.

The entire student delegation will spend the week visiting Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and the Supreme Court. They also will have a chance to speak with members of Congress.

Slayton said she will discuss education if given the opportunity to speak to a senator.

She said she would ask "what kind of improvements are being made for teachers in my state, Illinois, as teaching is both a poorly respected and poorly paid profession these days."

Boscovitch said he too would like to discuss education with a senator.

"I feel education should be the No. 1 agenda topic for any administration," he said.

The two DODDS alternates for the program are Nigel Campbell, a senior and class president at H.H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany, and Allison Ann Atterberry, a senior at Würzburg High.

Campbell plans to attend the University of Virginia to study government and foreign affairs with hopes of one day joining the CIA.

Atterberry is the student council parliamentarian. She plans to attend Truman State University in Missouri to study political science and work for the State Department.

Staff writer Dan O’Brien in Darmstadt, Germany, contributed to this report.

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