Release Date: Jan 22, 2009 8:00 AM  

---Students will travel to Washington D.C. and receive $5,000 scholarships---

(Dover, DE) – Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Thomas R. Carper have announced the names of two Delaware students who have been selected as delegates to the 47th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) to be held March 7-14, 2009 in Washington D.C.  Peter Andrews and Lauren Bleakney, both of Wilmington, have been chosen from hundreds of applicants to be part of 104 student delegates from across the country who will attend the annual program.

Peter Andrews is Parliamentarian at Mount Pleasant High School.  He served as Executive Chair of Relay for Life, Walk Team Captain of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Reporter for the Technology Student Association, President of the World Affairs Club, and as a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, soccer team, Math League and Academic Bowl.  Peter plans to follow a career in law, politics/public service.

Laurent Bleakney is a Senior Council Member at the Charter School of Wilmington.  Lauren served as a counselor at the Delaware Nature Society and volunteers at her community dance studio, Latin American Community Center and the Emmanuel Dining Hall.  Her extra-curricular activities include Co-President of the Canon Envirothon Team, Director and General Manager of the Drama Club, Senior Council, Vice President of the French Club and a member of the Model United Nations.  Lauren plans to attend Georgetown University or Yale University to become a diplomat and/or lawyer.
Chosen as alternates to the 2009 program were Julie Hughes, a resident of Millsboro, who attends Sussex Central High School and Matthew Marshall, a resident of Wilmington, who attends Cab Calloway School of the Arts.

The chief education officer in each state selects the delegates after nominations by teachers and principals.  This year’s delegates were designated former Secretary of Education Valerie A. Woodruff.
The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundation since inception.  Originally proposed by Senators Kuchel, Mansfield, Dirksen and Humphrey, the impetus for the program as stated in Senate testimony was “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected an appointed officials, and the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.”

Each year this extremely competitive merit-based program brings 104 of the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity – to Washington D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it.  The overall mission of the program is to help instill within the delegates a more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service.  In addition to the program week, the foundation grants to each of the 104 delegates a $5,000 college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs.  Transportation and all expenses for Washington Week are provided for by the foundation as stipulated in S.Res.324; no government funds are utilized.

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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