Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is scheduled to appear at George School on Friday, April 23, 2004. Kucinich will be the guest speaker at an assembly set to begin at 9:50 a.m. in Walton Center on the campus of George School.

Rep. Kucinich is slated to participate in a fund-raising breakfast at the Brick Hotel in Newtown before his arrival at George School.

Kucinich launched his bid for the Democratic nomination for president with the objective of "shifting the priorities of the US from the occupation of Iraq and the bloated Pentagon budget to our economy at home to provide jobs, universal health coverage and quality education from prekindergarten through college."

A native of Cleveland, OH, Kucinich first came to national prominence in 1977 when he was elected mayor of Cleveland,making him the youngest person ever elected to lead a major American city. His political career continued as a member of the Cleveland City Council from 1969-1975 and again from 1983-1985. Kucinich served in the Ohio State Senate from 1994-1996. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996.

Kucinich is the chairman of the Progressive Caucus of congressional Democrats and is a member of the Committee on Government Reform and the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.

In 2003, Kucinich was awarded the Gandhi Peace Award by the organization Promoting Enduring Peace. The award is given annually to an individual who has contributed significantly to world peace.

About George School
George School, founded in 1893 by members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), teaches that each person shares a responsibility for helping to make the world a better place. The student body is diverse, representing twenty states and thirty foreign countries and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, academic, and economic backgrounds. Each year more than $4 million in need-based financial aid is provided to eligible students.