 The St. Albans School of Public Service (SPS) lasts only four weeks each summer, but our students describe it as "life-changing." The School of Public Service is a unique program that brings fewer than 35 rising high school seniors from all over the United States and Europe to the heart of Washington, D.C., where they undertake an in-depth exploration of government, politics, and public service. If you are accepted to SPS, you'll use the case study method (the teaching method used in graduate programs in law, business, and public policy) to discuss and dissect public policy issues ranging from the debate over climate change, to the role of the media in modern political campaigns, to the experience of Army General David Petraeus in trying to construct a working government in city of Mosul, Iraq.
You'll take part in sophisticated simulations. Picture yourself as a first-term member of Congress -- you'll select committee assignments, vote on controversial legislation, and raise campaign funds . . . but will you be re-elected? Or step into the courtroom, as you and your classmates act as lawyers in a mock Supreme Court argument of a case from the "real" Supreme Court's docket -- what's the proper scope of the Second Amendment's right to bear arms? What are the limits of First Amendment Free Speech rights for high school students? What rights to Guantanamo detainees have under the Geneva Convention? Your own classmates will serve as the Justices and rule on your arguments.
 You'll hone your debating technique with a course in Public Speaking, and get a chance to put your new speaking skills in practice in every case study and in organized debates throughout the session, including the annual debate against Irish University students from the Washington-Ireland Program. Need a little extra ammunition in that policy argument? You'll explore the intersection of economics and public policy in an economics mini-course throughout the SPS session.
The learning continues outside the classroom. A typical week might include a visit to the United States Supreme Court for a meeting with a Supreme Court Justice; a question-and-answer session at the Washington Post with a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter; a tour of the White House West Wing (see photo at top left); a trip to the U.S. Naval Academy (see photo below) for a tour and a classroom case study with a Naval Academy Professor; and an afternoon at a community health clinic in Washington D.C. talking to doctors and staff about their service in the field of public health. 
The School of Public Service faculty holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Georgetown, Amherst, Notre Dame, and the University of Virginia, but you'll also learn from the wide array of speakers -- Pulitzer prize winning reporters; Army Special Forces Officers; Presidential Medal of Freedom winning scientists; Presidential Campaign staffers; Senators and Congresspeople; and Supreme Court Justices. And last but not least, you'll learn from your own classmates, who, like you, will be competitively chosen from among the best and brightest high school students in the United States and Europe. As one recent SPS participant said: "I never imagined having so many conversations with people my own age about things that matter."
You'll live at St. Albans School on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral (students from the D.C. area can attend SPS as boarding or day students). And as you explore policy and politics, you will also explore Washington D.C., whether it's a twilight tour of the Monuments, a boat trip down the Potomac for a day at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, an afternoon at the ballpark taking in a Washington Nationals baseball game, or a private tour of the National Portrait Gallery hosted by a Smithsonian curator. Click here to check out our 2008 blog for a day-by-day look at this past summer's program!
For a video introduction to SPS, click on the link below (or on the top left-hand side of the page) for a video introduction to the School of Public Service:
Click HERE to watch a short video about the School of Public Service.
2009 Program: The School of Public Service 2009 session runs from June 21 - July 19, 2009. SPS begins accepting applications for the 2009 session on December 1, 2008. Click on the "Applying to SPS" link on the top left-hand side of this page for more information about the application process (including tuition and financial aid information) and a link to the online application. Feel free to email us (sps@cathedral.org) or call our office (202-537-5286) for more information. | 
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