WCS Students Visit Republican National Convention

Published September 25, 2008

With Election Day on the horizon, two students from Scales Elementary School witnessed democracy in action when they attended the Republican National Convention in early September. Nine-year-old Chrysanne and her seven-year-old sister Katy Rose traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with their mother and father. Their dad, Robert Bennett, is an At Large Delegate for the state of Tennessee.

Seeing as how the girls were two of the youngest children to attend the convention, their father says they garnered a lot of attention. "Everyone at the convention just fell in love with them and they were a big

media draw," said Bennett. The girls were interviewed by a number of media outlets including a crew of young journalists from ABC.

Despite being hundreds of miles from home, Chrysanne and Katy Rose wanted to share their experience with their classmates at Scales Elementary School. The girls sent reports via email to their fourth and second grade classes. Chrysanne says the convention taught her a lot about the political process. "I learned that people are very careful about choosing their president," says Chrysanne. "They have very strong feelings about it." Her younger sister, Katy Rose, enjoyed meeting so many different people. "I really liked all the other delegates from all over the USA," says Katy Rose. "I also really enjoyed watching the balloons drop at the end of the convention."

One of the most exciting moments for the girls didn't involve balloons at all. In fact, it took place September 4 at a joint breakfast between the Tennessee and Alaska delegations. Chrysanne and Katy Rose decided to play their violins during the breakfast in hopes of collecting donations for a charity called Save the Children. As they played, delegates left donations in the girls' violin cases and when it was all said and done, the sisters raised more than $7,000.

Robert Bennett says he's happy he could share such an important historical moment with his daughters. "I wanted them to see that any of us can become involved," says Bennett. "I think they have learned a lot and I hope this will be just one experience in many more journeys for them to come."