Last week, Republican Party leaders from across the country gathered at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps was there to cover all of the action!
Scholastic News Kid Reporters Kyra O’Connor, a 15-year-old from Dublin, OH, and Lilian Jochmann, a 12-year-old from Shorewood, WI, traveled to the Quicken Loans Arena (home of the Cleveland Cavaliers) to see delegates officially choose Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president and to talk to some of the 50,000+ supporters, delegates, and journalists who were in attendance. The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps was even featured in The New York Times for its coverage of the Convention!
During the day, the Kid Reporters interviewed RNC volunteers including Jacob Russell, 19, a college student from Cooperstown, New York. “Obviously, the best part is to just be here at the convention,” he said. "I've always been really into politics.” Kyra and Lilian also received tips from pro journalists including: Radio host and TV commentator Michael Smerconish, commentator and civil rights activist Roland Martin of TV One and CNN, former Nightline anchor Ted Koppel, Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News, and Carl Bernstein, whose articles in The Washington Post in the early 1970s led to the resignation of then-President Richard M. Nixon.
“Read everything you can, and listen,” Bernstein said. “Listen to voters. Listen, listen, listen!”
When asked about how kids could help bring about social justice, Koppel stated, “Get a good education and stay informed.”
Throughout the week, Kyra and Lilian explored the arena and visited the convention floor, where they spoke with politicians and delegates—including Bob Leonard (Texas delegate), Brad Schimel (Attorney General of Wisconsin) and Brad Courtney (Chairman of Wisconsin’s Republican Party)—about their thoughts and expectations for the Convention as a whole. When asked why she thought that Trump would make a good president, Wisconsin delegate Laurie Wolf explained, “Donald Trump is very passionate about the United States. He has very strong ideas about how to improve America [and] national security.”
Looking back on her unique experience in Cleveland, Lilian Jochmann said, “It was incredibly cool to be part of this history-making convention and to help show kids how and why politics matters to them.”
Check out Kyra and Lilian’s stories from the Republican National Convention, here:
- A Kid Gets the Scoop at the Republican Convention by Kyra O’Connor
- An Inside Look at the Republican Convention by Kyra O’Connor
- A Memorable Night in Cleveland by Lilian Jochmann
Stay tuned as our Kid Reporters Adedayo Perkovich and Maxwell Surprenant head to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this week for the 2016 Democratic Convention! And, be sure to follow the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps on Twitter (@KidsPress) for Kid Reporter updates.
