National Peace Essay Contest agenda and photos now available online.

On Saturday, June 19th, 1999, the Institute welcomed the winners of the 12th annual National Peace Essay Contest!

More than 2,500 students in 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and American high schools overseas participated in this year's contest, writing essays about the different measures that can be taken to
prevent violent international conflicts. The state-level winners received a $1,000 college scholarship and competed for national awards of up to $10,000.

While in Washington the students visited the Ethiopian and Eritrean embassies, toured the Smithsonian museums and monuments on the Mall, participated in simulation exercises on conflict-resolution, and attended an
Awards Banquet where the first, second, and third place national winners were announced.

 

The students participated in a multiple-day conflict-resolution simulation exercise on the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict . To aid in the exercise, the USIP Library has provided resources on Eritrea & Ethiopia.

Saturday, June 19, 1999

Student Arrivals all day

Graphic of room key  Registration:
The Governor's House Hotel
Washington, DC

6:00-7:00
Opening Dinner
The Governor's House Hotel

7:30-8:15
Orientation and Introductions
Heather Kerr-Stewart
Program Manager, U.S. Institute of Peace

8:15-9:00
Stanley "Bunjo" Butler, storyteller

Image on right: Stanley "Bunjo" Butler used the tradition of African storytelling to talk about conflict resolution.

9:00-9:45
Icebreaker Game

11:00
Room Check
The Governor's House Hotel

 

Sunday, June 20, 1999

10:30-1:00
Tour of the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

1:15-2:00
Lunch at the U. S. Institute of Peace

2:00-2:45
Opening Session for Simulation

  • Ambassador Daniel Simpson,
    Vice President,
    National Defense University
    U.S. Institute of Peace Board of Directors
    Former Ambassador to Somalia

Image on right: Amelia Still of Alaska thanks Ambassador Daniel Simpson for speaking to the group.

3:00-5:00
Simulation
The Governor's House Hotel

6:00-7:00
Dinner in Georgetown

7:30
The Kennedy Center
"Red, White, and Tuna"

11:00
Room Check
The Governor's House Hotel

 

Monday, June 21, 1999

9:00-10:00
U.S. State Department Briefing
Department of State Headquarters

Image above: Pointing to the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Richard Bogosian speaks to the students about conflict in East Africa.

10:00-11:15
Briefing at the
Embassy of Ethiopia

  • Mr. Fisseha Adugna
    Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM)

Image above: Dr. Richard Solomon and Brian Holland of Connecticut

 

Image above: Taking a break from the busy schedule, Michael dela Merced of New Jersey and Deverraux Jones of Florida select items from a buffet of Chinese food during lunch between sessions.

  • Gayle Smith
    National Security Council
    Special Assistant to the President &
    Senior Advisor on African Affairs

Image on top: David Smock and Gayle Smith accept NPEC t-shirts from Kelly Phipps of Ohio. Smock, Director of the USIP Grant Program & Coordinator of African
Activities introduced Smith.

2:15-6:00
Simulation
The Governor's House Hotel

Students at dinner

Sarah Grube of Maine, Brian Holland of Connecticut,
Kathleen Wirth of South Carolina, and Sara Matthews
of Kentucky enjoy a Tex-Mex dinner.

8:00-8:40
Tour of the
FDR Memorial

 

Lyons & Trader with Fala

Stephanie Lyons of Tennessee and Anna Trader
of Arizona at the FDR Memorial with Fala (FDR's dog)

8:50-9:50
Night Tour of the
Lincoln, Korean War Veterans , and Vietnam Veterans Memorials

11:00
Room Check
The Governor's House Hotel

 

Tuesday, June 22, 1999

9:00-10:00
Briefing at the Embassy of Eritrea

  • His Excellency Semere Russom
    Ambassador of Eritrea to the United States

Students at the Eritrean Embassy
At the Eritrean Embassy

10:15-12:15
Simulation
The Governor's House Hotel

Emerson Hilton and Anna Trader
Role-playing Senegal and Tanzania, respectively,
Emerson Hilton of Vermont and Anna Trader of Arizona
listen to options for resolving the conflict
between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

1:00-3:00
Exploration of the
Smithsonian Institution

Lunch at the Smithsonian Castle
Ryan Cunningham of Wisconsin, Noah Baker of New Mexico,
Annika Binnendijk of Maryland, Brad Snyder of Indiana, and
Jacob Jost of Virginia taking a lunch break at the
Smithsonian Castle on the Mall

3:00-4:00
Guided Tour of the
National Museum of African Art

4:30-6:15
Simulation & Debriefing
The Governor's House Hotel

6:45-7:45
Dinner at Ethiopian Restaurant

8:00-9:00
Performance by KanKouran Dance Troupe
The White-Meyer House

Dancing with the KanKouran Troupe
Dancing with the KanKouran Traditional
African Dance Troupe

9:30-10:00
Capitol Hill Briefing
The Governor's House Hotel

10:00-11:00
Ice Cream Social
The Governor's House Hotel

11:00 Room Check
The Governor's House Hotel

Wednesday, June 23, 1999

 

9:00-4:00
Capitol Hill Appointments

9:30
Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont

 

Image on right: Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont chats with Vermont winner Emerson Hilton on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Senator Leahy spoke to the state-level winners about the work of USIP.

6:15-9:30
National Peace Essay Contest Awards Banquet
Honoring First-Place State Winners
Meridian House

Image: Dr. Solomon and national winners Rebecca Bradburd of Massachusetts (3rd place), Jeanmarie Hicks of South Dakota (1st place), and Anika Binnendijk of Maryland (2nd place)

10:00
Airport Departure Meeting
The Governor's House Hotel

10:30
Informal Social
The Governor's House Hotel

12:00
Room Check
The Governor's House Hotel

Thursday, June 24, 1999

8:30-10:00
Colman McCarthy
Founder & Director, Center for Teaching Peace and
former Washington Post columnist
The Governor's House Hotel

Colman McCarthy and students & coordinators
Colman McCarthy answers question from students
and state coordinators after his presentation.

10:15
Hotel Check Out & Departures
The Governor's House Hotel

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