Dear Educator:

Are your students interested in having a discussion with their United States Congressman? Are you interested in providing them with a civics lesson from someone who works on Capitol Hill? We would like to invite you to join Congressman Tierney in his "VC-2-DC" exchange program.

Through this program, which uses simple videoconference technology, a classroom near you can directly connect to Congressman Tierney in his Washington, D.C. office. Your students will have the opportunity to speak with the Congressman about national news of the day and important issues before Congress.

In our pilot program last spring, successful connections were made with the following schools:

Joining in Congressman Tierney's VC-2-DC learning exchange requires a few simple steps:

1) Locate an available classroom with internet connection;
2) Set up a test call with the Congressman's staff so that your network is configured to host the connection; and
3) On the day of the event, work with the Congressman's staff to set up a projector and camera (provided by the Congressman's office).
Then you are ready to go!

We are extending this invitation to schools for dates between March 30 and May 30, 2008. In order to ensure that our office is able to make the necessary scheduling arrangements, please contact me in the office by March 21, 2008 if you are interested in participating. I may be reached in the Peabody office at (978) 531-1669 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We are excited to kick off the VC-2-DC exchange, and look forward to your participation!

Sincerely,

Matthew Patton
Director of Outreach
Congressman John F. Tierney