Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Home News
Sitting alongside Ashley Rebbe of Eldorado High, Boulder City’s Daniel Edmondson, 16, right, discusses the impact the United States has on the economic welfare of other countries during the “Around the World” discussion at the 52nd annual Sun Youth Forum held at the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday.
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008 | midnight
Sun Youth Forum 2008
One thousand standout students from Clark County high schools participated in the 2008 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum Tuesday, November 25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Students discussed issues ranging from the latest American economic bailout, to topics affecting their daily lives at home in the Silver State. Ten lucky seniors received $1,000 scholarships for college next year.
Sun Topics
The Sun Youth Forum Nov. 25 changed the way Hillary Williams thinks about school. She went from an attitude of "school is school" to realizing the importance of athletic achievement versus academic achievement, she said.
Williams was part of the "School Days" discussion, one of seven offered during the annual forum. She was filling in for a fellow student who couldn't make it, and Williams said the topic wasn't her first choice. Still, she got a lot out of the discussion.
"It broadened my perspective," she said.
Las Vegas Sun founder Hank Greenspun came up with the idea for the Youth Forum in 1955 to give teens from Las Vegas-area high schools an opportunity to discuss controversial issues. Students from 49 schools this year tackled issues including the education budget, the war in Iraq and legalizing marijuana.
Besides the Sun, the Greenspuns publish the Home News and other publications.
The forum provides students a safe environment to voice their concerns, surrounded by peers eager to listen. Some were nearly falling off their chairs, waving their hands and biting their lips waiting their turn to join the discussion.
Boulder City High School sent seven students, all juniors, and each was in a separate discussion group: School Days, Law and Crime, Around the World, Teen Topics, Home in Nevada, America and Potpourri. The students were Williams, George Kehagias, Nakia Gray, Alix Ulibarri, Daniel Edmondson, Katherine Kirk and Brittany Ricciardo.
In the case of many schools, including Boulder City, students were left to do their own preparation. Most said they reviewed each topic beforehand and made sure they were at least vaguely familiar with the issues.
Those who had attended before — including students and moderators — said this year was better than most, and the students were far more informed than in previous years.
"They represent a point of view I've never seen in 10 years of doing this," Robert McCord, assistant professor of educational leadership at UNLV, said. McCord moderated one of the School Days groups.
Other moderators included Jim Owens, chief of the investigative services department for Metro Police; U.S. District Judge Philip Pro; Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.; and Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes.
Though the forum is meant to encourage friendly discussion among peers without necessarily changing someone's mind, many students said they happily walked away with a new view on a few topics.
"I learned a lot and kind of changed my views on some topics," Kirk said. She provided as an example her stance on charging minors as adults.
"I always thought it depended on the crime, but people made some really good points (to the contrary)."
Ricciardo agreed. She was part of the America discussion.
"You can always learn more about America," she said. "Here you get both sides to the discussion."
Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].
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