BSVDWatch.org

May 15, 2007

STATEMENT FROM THE CONFERENCE ON WORLD AFFAIRS

REGARDING CWA AT BOULDER HIGH SCHOOL

             Since 1998, Boulder High School has hosted an annual series of CWA panels during Conference week.  These sessions are designed by BHS students as an after school activity.  Every year, the CWA receives countless messages of gratitude and praise for the program at Boulder High from BHS parents, students, teachers and the CWA participants themselves.  The concerns expressed by a Boulder High student and her parent this year represent the first complaint received in ten years.  Although that complaint has been considered seriously, it also must be viewed within the context of the historic success and value of the BHS-CWA program.

             The BHS student and her parent expressed concerns about a panel entitled “STDs: Sex, Teens and Drugs.”  The panelists on this session spoke candidly and sensibly to the high school audience, providing valuable and cautionary information about alcohol consumption, drugs, sexual issues and teens.  The recording of that session demonstrates that the student in question was received with utmost respect by CWA participants and the high school audience during the question and answer period.  She was enthusiastically commended by CWA panelists and applauded three times by the audience for expressing her opinions. Views regarding abstinence were not discredited.

             We understand that quotes from that session were read out of context at the recent school board meeting.  Reporting those quotes out of context is extremely misleading.  These are complex issues, which were handled by an hour and a half of in-depth discussion by the panelists. We encourage anyone interested in hearing the full session to obtain a copy of the audio recording from www.tapesagain.com

             However this particular session is characterized or interpreted, we understand that this student was uncomfortable and unhappy with her experience, and we were sorry to learn of that. We have every confidence that BHS administrators and the school board will communicate policies regarding non-compulsory attendance at panels which may cover sensitive topics, while retaining the characteristic vitality and intellectual freedom of CWA sessions.

            It is important to note that the CWA-BHS program is produced by Boulder High students, providing those students with excellent opportunities to develop leadership, creativity, consensus-building, intellectual discussion and detail management skills.

            During the fall semester, these students familiarize themselves with the biographies of CWA participants and brainstorm possible subject areas for panels.  These meetings spark interesting conversations about current events and other issues vitally important to high school students. Although a BHS faculty leader provides guidance to the group, there has always been a strong emphasis on allowing students to be as self-determining as possible.

             One of the highlights of the CWA program writing is the BHS presentation to the wider CWA planning committee at CU. The BHS students present professionally and knowledgeably every year, demonstrating passion and pride in the sessions they have created.  At the same time, they show flexibility and a willingness to expand or re-think their proposals based on insights the committee offers regarding participant placement and/or titling. 

             During the actual Conference week, BHS students “produce” their panels, making sure that all is in order for the sessions and hosting the visiting participants. After months of reading about the participants, it is rewarding for the students to finally meet them in person—and to watch those panelists engage and inform fellow students.  The experience does not end with the panels, since discussions about issues raised at CWA sessions often continue among students for weeks to come.

            The connection between Boulder High and the Conference on World Affairs extends back long before the past ten years.  BHS students have been attending the CWA after school and during free periods since the Conference’s beginning in 1948.  Numerous Boulder High graduates have served and continue to serve on the CWA committee as CU students and older community members.  BHS graduates have returned to the CU campus as CWA participants.

             We believe that the historic connection between BHS and the CWA is one element of what makes attending Boulder High such a special experience.  It is a tradition which fosters awareness of local, national and global citizenship and celebrates intellectual discussion and excellence.

            The Conference on World Affairs sends heartfelt thanks to the board and BHS administration, teachers, staff, students and parents for developing and supporting this unique program. 

                                                                        James Palmer, Director

                                                                        Jane Butcher and Juli Steinhauer, Community Co-chair

                                                                        Maura Clare, Director of Public Affairs