The nearly 20 high school students in a Fox Chapel Area High School conference room were from Western Pennsylvania, where many a battle has been fought in favor of trade protectionism.

But the students voted for fighting against all forms of protectionism as the top strategy for economic recovery.

It was then that group leader Steven Clemons -- senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy group -- knew that the students had taken on their new role: Japanese delegates to the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh's G-20 student summit.

The students were among about 500 at Fox Chapel Area High School as well as about 1,700 others in Allegheny County, nearby counties and the countries of Brazil, Italy, South Africa and Georgia, who participated via an audio feed or webcast yesterday.

The event was intended to give students a taste of what the real G-20 summit delegates will face next week in Pittsburgh.

Those arriving at the school auditorium were greeted by thought-provoking cardboard cutouts of protesters, made by Fox Chapel art students. Some characters carried posters about topics ranging from water conservation to animal rights. One had a piece of duct tape over her mouth.

Inside the auditorium and in conference rooms, the students tackled how various countries would view issues of economic recovery, energy and the environment.

---

---

Due to technical difficulties, those participating via video conference or webcast generally received only audio for the large group sessions. Exceptions included students in Brazil, Italy and South Africa, who were visible and audible to the large group near the end of the event.

Fox Chapel was able to broadcast the session to its classrooms using its own network and to the community on a public access channel.

Mt. Lebanon, where about 200 students from its own district plus six other schools participated, improvised by making the final portion a video conference on its own network.

Some remote locations had planned to video conference with other remote locations. Six of seven were successful, said Sarah McCluan, spokeswoman for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

The video difficulties were the result of problems with Internet service via Allegheny Connect, a $9 million network the AIU is rolling out, she said. This was its first major event.

Despite the technical difficulties, Christina Unger, education program manager for the World Affairs Council, said all schools were able to get the content.

The morning started out with Mr. Clemons; Juan Delgado, chief economist of the Spanish National Commission for Competition; and David Shorr, program office, policy and outreach, Stanley Foundation, outlining some of the major challenges real G-20 delegates will face.

Then, students broke into smaller groups, each representing a G-20 participant and each with a country expert. They reconvened in the auditorium to report on results from each country's point of view.

"You have to think from the perspective of another country and toss out your own views," said Pavan Rajgopal, a Fox Chapel junior who was in the French group.

Moderator Schuyler Foerster, president of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, said most groups viewed economic recovery as more important than energy, which placed second, or the environment. But there still were variations in policies to follow.

Daniel Tublin, a Fox Chapel senior who was part of the school's "G-force" helping with the event, said he thought students learned how complex world problems are.

Now, he said, he's waiting to see how the real G-20 delegates will balance their own country's needs with those of the world.