WASHINGTON  – First lady Michelle Obama is telling third-grade students that they can help the president by working hard and never quitting.

The first lady visited Ferebee Hope Elementary School in the District of Columbia on Wednesday and read the story “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” to about 18 students. Afterward she talked about how to cope productively with the frustrations of a bad day.

Mrs. Obama told the students that everybody has bad days, including herself and President Barack Obama. But she asked the students never to quit when things get hard.

She visited the school to meet with leaders from the drop-out prevention organization Communities In Schools, which provides individual tutoring for the third graders she met.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Students from across North Carolina will arrive in Raleigh on Friday for the 39th annual Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA). The event is sponsored by the Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office of the N.C. Department of Administration.

A total of 266 students from 43 counties and 92 schools are scheduled to participate and will be sworn in during the opening session at 12 noon Friday in Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building. Presiding over this year’s sessions will be tri-speakers Seth Morris, a senior at Salisbury High School in Salisbury; David Freifeld, a senior at Enloe High School in Raleigh; and Elgin Giles, a junior at West Johnson High School in Benson.

YLA is an opportunity for North Carolina high school students to write, debate and vote on bills and share their views with legislators and other state government officials. General Sessions will be held Friday and Saturday the Legislative Office Building, with the closing session and other activities at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel.

Following procedures used by members of the N.C. General Assembly, participants will work in committees before gathering for general sessions. Among the items to be considered are bills to: legalize the institution of civil unions; require every North Carolina public school system to offer a foreign language program in primary schools; require a minimum refundable deposit on recyclable, individually-sealed beverage containers; reform the gun show loophole; and institute a syringe exchange program. A YLA final report will be sent to the governor, members of the General Assembly and other key state leaders.

YLA 2009 sponsors are the N.C. Cable Telecommunications Association, the John William Pope Foundation, Progress Energy, the N.C. Sheriff’s Association, ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc., and the N.C. Minority/Women Business Enterprise Coordinators’ Network.

For details on the 10 committees and proposed legislation from each visit http://www.doa.nc.gov/yaio/youthcouncils-yla-reg.htm (click on Registration Packet).

RALEIGH, N.C. — Students from HBCU campuses from across the state are gathering in Raleigh this Wednesday, February 18, 2009, reminding lawmakers they want their voices heard in the halls of the legislature.

Students have scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference in the press conference room of the legislative building, to discuss pending legislation they believe can make a difference in improving democracy.

Campuses represented on lobby day include: Shaw University, St. Augustine’s College, Bennett College, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina A&T State University, Fayetteville State University, and Winston Salem University.

This is the second biennial HBCU legislative lobby day co hosted by Common Cause North Carolina.

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Authorities now say a dead bear cub draped with Barack Obama campaign yard signs and left on the Western Carolina University campus was the result of a prank. Campus Police Chief Tom Johnson said Tuesday afternoon that seven students were identified as being involved in the incident, and it was determined that it was not a political statement.

A statement from the school said the students found the bear during a weekend camping trip, drove it to school in the back of a pickup truck and dumped it at the main entrance to campus.

Maintenance workers found the 75-pound bear cub Monday morning. The students told authorities they used the campaign signs to cover up the animal’s head wound and to keep blood from spilling onto the truck.

RALEIGH, N.C. – ­ Voters looking for inspiration to go to the polls can find it among the winners of the Go Vote 08 PSA Contest, sponsored by the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Voter Education.

The contest called for 30-second video entries promoting the importance of voting in this year¹s election.  Divisions were available for high school students, college students and non-students, with $500 awarded to the winner of each division, along with a $500 bonus given to the overall grand-prize winner.

The Go Vote 08 PSA Contest results are as follows:

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

1st  Place: Nic Pusateri, North Raleigh Christian Academy, Raleigh, N.C.

2nd Place: Mitch Darling, David Padilla, Staffan Skult, and George Spears, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N.C.

3rd Place: Arianna Megaro, Aaron Strom and Bennett Wilder, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N.C.

COLLEGE DIVISION

1st Place & Grand Prize Winner: Mich Donovan and Jeff Thurm, Elon University

2nd Place: Shang Gao, Sungho Yoo and Eric Holljes, Duke University

3rd Place: Tan Tran, N.C. State University

NON-STUDENT DIVISION

1st Place: Yolanda James, Charlotte, N.C.

2nd Place: William Losch, Asheville, N.C.

3rd Place: Jeff Adams, Shelby, N.C.

Complete contest results and selected video entries can be seen online at www.GoVoteNC.com/contest.

“This year¹s election is one of the most important of our lifetime, and so we are very pleased to see the talent of North Carolinians on display to inspire voters of all ages to cast a ballot this Election Day,” said John Thompson, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education.

This is the third election cycle for the Go Vote PSA Contest, which has seen winners from across North Carolina and as far away as Montana and California.

The Raleigh-based N.C. Center for Voter Education is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, dedicated to improving elections in North Carolina.

FAYETEVILLE, N.C. — The Terry Sanford High School Student Government Association (SGA) in partnership with the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce is presenting a forum for District judicial races and candidates for County Commissioner.

The forum is Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008, at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.

Tim White, Fayetteville Observer editorial page editor, will moderate the forum with questions developed in part by SGA students. The first 25 to 30 minutes will be given to candidates for district court judge. The last sixty minutes will be dedicated to the candidates for county commissioner. All candidates will be asked to answer all questions from the moderator.

This forum marks the 15th consecutive year a candidates’ forum has been hosted at Terry Sanford.

On Wednesday students across the state of North Carolina will gather to hold voter registration and Students for McCain-Palin membership drives.

According to the group’s press release, Students for McCain-Palin is a grassroots organization designed to engage students in the election process, communicate John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin’s message and educate students about the issues and where the candidates stand. It is also designed to encourage young Americans to answer John McCain’s call to serve a cause greater than one’s self.

Event List:

Duke University
        Bryan Center Lobby (facing the Bryan Center Plaza)
        Duke University Campus
        Time: 2 p.m. 
        Contact: Camille Jackson for inquiries regarding parking, transportation
            or directions at 919-681-8052 or camille.jackson@duke.edu
        Student Contact: Vikram Srinivasan at 408-410-1521

Elon University
        Mosley Center, First Floor
        Elon University Campus
        Time: 12:30 p.m. 
        Student Contact: Daniel A. Jessup at 336-401-1656

University of North Carolina at Wilmington
        Leutze Hall
        University of North Carolina at Wilmington Campus
        Time: 12:00 p.m. 
        Student Contact: Bethany Husdon at 919-260-1172