A more than 30-year tradition, Capitol Hill Press Conference (CHPC) returns to the Old Supreme Court Chambers of the state capitol on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. Registration is free, though participation is a bit limited, with two students per CSMA-member medium allowed. All registration is online and student names may be substituted right up to the day of the event.

We invite attendees to arrange to visit the floor of the state house or senate, visit with their representatives, and take the free 45-minute tour of the capitol building (reservations are recommended), either before we begin, or later in the afternoon. The last tour begins at 3 p.m., which would be an option if you wanted to do that AFTER our event. Legislative sessions begin at 10 a.m on Mondays, as do the tours. A number of schools have had great luck in getting on the floor of the House and/or Senate as guests of their local legislators. This sort of focused time with your legislator(s) can lead to different sorts of coverage than our press conferences.

We begin our event officially at 11 a.m., led by Nic Garcia, from Chalkbeat Colorado, who always asks provocative questions, and provides advice on press conference etiquette. Nic reports on education issues in Colorado, and is a graduate of the Pueblo schools.

We welcome Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne from 11:45 – 12:15, followed by Colorado Commissioner of Education Katy Anthes from 12:30 – 1:15.

CONTESTS
After the press conference(s), we will offer an on-the-spot news-feature writing competition (focusing on any aspects of the day reporters choose), and a commentary-writing contest, so plan to bring laptops (not to mention cameras and video gear). We also offer a video contest, with a 1-2 minute segment on the day edited and shared by Saturday night, March 4. We also have a photo essay contest, with photos and captions submitted by Thursday night, March 2. More details will be available during the event. Place-winners receive certificates and are published on this site.

FOOD & PARKING
Please note that there are no obvious times for food in our schedule. We recommend a combination of a hearty late breakfast and a late lunch/early dinner following our event (maybe on the 16th Street Mall, which is about four blocks away).

We recommend parking in the Denver Art Museum car park, which is across Broadway from the Capitol, and about a five block walk. Not a bad hourly rate and you don’t have to worry about meters. Many schools come in via light rail, and it’s quite convenient to exit the light rail at California and take the mall shuttle to the “end of the line,” which puts you near Colfax and just three blocks from the Capitol. Plan to enter through the north entrance, BTW.