Each spring, on the last day before Spring Break, we welcome family and friends to Capitol Hill for a morning of engagement and fun.  This year, we also welcomed noted PBS NewsHour commentator and nationally syndicated columnist Mark Shields, who led a compelling and energizing discussion with our community.

Shields’ riveting (and often hilarious) stories, plucked from over 50 years of media experience, were memorable and meaningful.  Even more so was his hopefulness about politics and its enduring capacity to create positive change.

Below are pictures from the Shields event, as well as the model English class (featuring renditions of the “tennis balls speech” from Shakespeare’s Henry V) that took place earlier that morning.