Primary as Teachable Moment

The quadrennial political Olympiad is upon us, and with it another star-packed event: College Convention 2012 .

Presidential hopefuls, political experts, journalists, advocates and guess speakers will address more than 400 students from 27 states gathering for the College Convention from Tuesday to Friday at the Grappone Center in Concord.

College Convention 2012 falls just days ahead of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary–some calendar luck that could boost participation closer to 1,000, said Wayne Lesperance, a political science professor at New England College in Henniker, N.H., and co-director of College Convention 2012.

The Center for Civic Engagement at NEC organizes the convention with support from various sponsors .

It is a fun educational event in which college and high school students enjoy a unique political immersion: Interaction with major presidential candidates.

"In some ways," Lesperance said, "This is very much a celebration of the Primary."

Patch  is a media sponsor of College Convention 2012. Follow Patch for continuing coverage of the Convention.