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Dear Arthur,
In this newsletter, we give you revised dates for our Conference on the Middle East, information on our keynote speaker for the conference, news of last Saturday's high school faculty advisor meeting, information on next Monday's middle school teachers' meeting, the proposed agenda for this Saturday's high school discussion group, and much more.
We also have a poll on whether you feel safer now than you did prior to September 11, 2001.
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In addition to reading our newsletters, you may also want to visit our web site by clicking on the link below. We have a good deal of current information, and through the year we will be working on building up our archives from previous years.
Civitas home page
Participants Vote to move Middle East Conference to November 21-22 (Updated)
Through a fine display of "grassroots democracy," students and teachers have voted to change the dates for our Fall Middle East Conference to Friday - Saturday, November 21 & 22. Seventeen people indicated that the Nov. 21-22 dates work for them; while only seven could make the alternate dates. We want to thank the Doubletree Club Hotel for their flexibility in allowing us to make this change. So we ask all of you to change these dates as we have done so on our calendars.
The conference will begin at 3:00 PM on Friday, November 21 and end at 5:30 PM on Saturday, November 22.
In the meantime students who want to participate in the conference must come to the two preparatory sessions on Saturday, September 20 and Saturday, October 4. They must also commit themselves to research time prior to the conference. We are looking for students who want to really engage in the issues of the Middle East and who are willing to "think outside the box."
With this week's newsletter, we have a link to a sign-up sheet for the conference. Applying to participate will not guarantee a student a slot in the conference, but it will be an excellent first step for a student to take.
We also have available other information on the conference. It can be accessed by the second link below. More information will be available next week.
Application form for Mid-East Conference
Link to Index of Information on Mid-East Conference
Jon Sawyer to Keynote Conference
 Jon Sawyer, Washington bureau chief of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch will be the keynote speaker for the Civitas Conference on the Middle East, to take place on November 21-22, 2003. Jon has been on the staff of the Post-Dispatch for nearly thirty years, but he is young. He meets our educational standards of "No Child Shall Be Bored Out of his or her Gourd."
He has traveled in and written from almost every country in the Middle East. Most recently he was in Iran, shortly after the "military end to the war in Iraq." His writing style features a wonderful blend of stories about individual people and families and how they are affected by political and economic forces in their country.
He will speak at our Friday evening opening session. We will provide you with further information on Jon Sawyer in upcoming newsletters. You can do a search for his stories in the Post-Dispatch by going to the link below.
Link to St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Related High School Calendar Changes
The change of dates for the Middle East Conference has necessitate other calendar changes for the Civitas High School program. The previously scheduled discussion on "JFK -- 40 Years Later" has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 18, at Crossroads from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.
We are working on a new date for our Fall High School Model U.N. Session -- our largest U.N. event of the year. It will most likely be on Saturday, November 1 or Saturday, November 8. The location is still to be determined. We hope to have final information for you next week about this key event.
Civitas Calendar
Thanks to the High School Faculty Advisors who....
 came to our one and only meeting last Saturday, Sept. 6, at Crossroads. Those who were in attendance were Jane Garvin (St. Joseph's Academy), Mike Gavin (Kirkwood),, Barbara Lindauer (Collinsville), Erin Livengood (Crossroads), Sister Judith Schulte (Rosati-Kain), Mark Schusky (Collinsville), Mario Sylvander (Chesterfield Day), Chuck Triplett (Lindbergh), and Pamela Woodard (Normandy).
With the "advice and consent" of the faculty advisors, we are implementing a few changes. Special thanks to Mario Sylvander from Chesterfield Day School who suggested that we group similar events together for sign-up purposes. We will provide you with more information on this in next week's newsletter.
Directions to Crossroads School
Middle School Teachers Meeting next Monday, Sept. 15 (Updated)
 We are looking forward to our most active Middle School program ever this year. We have a number of new schools that are interested in the program.
Our first meeting for Middle School teachers will be on Monday, September 15, at 4:00 PM on the 10th floor (Room 1009) of the Clayton World Trade Center (directions and map below).
The agenda will include a quick review of last year's program, suggestions for improvements this year, using technology to improve preparation for this year's MUN, and an early look at the number of students that we can expect for this year's program. We also want to take initial steps in scheduling the spring dates when each school will participate in the MUN. That will put us in a solid position to have our "country draft" on the next Middle School meeting on October 20. Directions to Middle School Teachers Meetings
High School Discussion Group This Saturday, September 13 (Updated)
 After a one week hiatis, we resume high school Saturday morning activity. This week we will have another discussion group. As always, the conversation will be on a topic or topics of students' choice. On August 30, we had an outstanding discussion on whether the U.N. or the U.S. should have primary responsibility for rebuilding Iraq.
A suggested topic for this week is whether the United States is setting a proper example for international behavior to developing countries. This naturally emanates from our discussion about the U.N. and the U.S. Is the U.S. acting like a country that deserves the respect of other countries around the world? If this gets too serious, we can always return to the topic of school uniforms.
Directions to Crossroads School
Survey on "Two Years After" (New)
This week will mark the two year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC. Our survey today asks whether you now feel safer, less safe, or about the same as two years ago.
Link to Survey on "Safer Now?"
Link to Poll on Civitas Intranet Site
Previous Survey Results (New)
Last week's survey was:
We have just finished de facto summer with the passing of Labor Day. In August, gasoline prices in the U.S. were at their highest ever. Choose as many answers as you think apply.
Responses % #
1. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
20.59 % 7
2. Extended War in Iraq
29.41 % 10
3. Oil Companies in Collusion
17.65 % 6
4. Secrecy of Bush Energy Plan
11.76 % 4
5. Normal "Laws of Supply and Demand"
20.59 % 7
6. Not Sure
0 % 0
Total: 34
Interestingly enough, respondents faulted President Bush to the extent that he initiated the recent war with Iraq. However, they were reluctant to pin blame on the secret nature in which his energy policy was developed early in the administration.
Additional Links
More information about Civitas
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