U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith, Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry will participate via video conference from Washington, D.C.

More than 90 high school students and 22 teachers will gather at the daylong forum to discuss the U.S. role in today's world. They will deliberate on four distinct options for the future of U.S. foreign policy, culminating in a conversation with members of Nebraska's congressional delegation.

The forum is a collaboration of the Nebraska Humanities Council and Secretary of State John Gale.

Area students and teachers from Genoa, Hampton and Hastings high schools will be representing Central Nebraska.

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome by Gov. Dave Heineman in the Warner Chamber. Deliberation on the four futures will begin at 1:40 p.m. The students' conversation with Smith, Fortenberry and Terry is scheduled for 2:45.

Capitol Forum is a civic education initiative designed to give high school students a voice in public policy.

For six months, students have studied and deliberated foreign policy issues in the classroom. On March 31, student representatives from each school will engage in discussion among themselves and with policy makers and other elected officials on such issues as immigration, nuclear weapon proliferation, terrorism, international trade and the global environment.