By NEIL H. SIMON, Media General News Service
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Sen. John McCain returned to his high school alma mater Tuesday to reintroduce himself to voters while his Democratic rivals are still slugging it out.
At a town hall forum with more than 400 students and staff of Episcopal High School, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee recalled early episodes of his now famous temper as he underwent the hazing suffered by all freshmen, known as "rats."
"I made my resentment clear in my usual, immature ways to upperclassmen and school officials, piling up demerits and earning the distinction at the end of the year of
'worst rat,'" said McCain, who graduated in 1954 from the then-all boys boarding school.
"If my detractors had known me here ... they might marvel at the self-restraint and mellowness I developed as an adult," he said.
Former classmate Edward "Boopa" Pritchard Jr. joined McCain at the forum and said the same relentlessness McCain showed in high school can be seen on the campaign trail.
"He was tough," Pritchard said. "When he got out on a wrestling mat, he didn't want to lose, and as a result he very seldom did."
With Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still dueling for delegates to the Democratic National Convention, McCain launched a biographical "Service to America Tour" this week to define himself before he has an official opponent.
"We don't presume the American people know John McCain inside and out," said McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt.
While McCain's biography may be well known to older Americans, Pritchard said McCain may need to work harder to get his war-hero story out.
"Let's face it," Pritchard said, "John is older and this younger generation -- I don't know what they know about his life."
McCain, never a top student, said acing the American history portion of the Naval Academy entrance exam was one of his two crowning high school achievements. The other was his wrestling record for the fastest pin of an opponent.
In Alexandria, the second stop on the tour that heads to the Naval Academy Wednesday, McCain touched on education policy. Backing school choice, he said competition would benefit public schools. He praised teachers but said the government should encourage those who have "lost their focus" to "find another line of work."
And he said he supports the No Child Left Behind Act because it "recognizes that we can no longer accept high standards for some students and low standards for others."
The only awkward moment came when a female student asked about the motivation of the campaign stop.
"We were told this was not a political event," she said. "What is your purpose of being here?"
McCain joked, "I knew I should have cut this thing off."
"I hope that attendance here was not compulsory. If it was, I apologize," he said.
While student attendance was expected, it was not mandatory, a school spokeswoman said.
At a town hall forum with more than 400 students and staff of Episcopal High School, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee recalled early episodes of his now famous temper as he underwent the hazing suffered by all freshmen, known as "rats."
"I made my resentment clear in my usual, immature ways to upperclassmen and school officials, piling up demerits and earning the distinction at the end of the year of
'worst rat,'" said McCain, who graduated in 1954 from the then-all boys boarding school.
"If my detractors had known me here ... they might marvel at the self-restraint and mellowness I developed as an adult," he said.
Former classmate Edward "Boopa" Pritchard Jr. joined McCain at the forum and said the same relentlessness McCain showed in high school can be seen on the campaign trail.
"He was tough," Pritchard said. "When he got out on a wrestling mat, he didn't want to lose, and as a result he very seldom did."
With Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still dueling for delegates to the Democratic National Convention, McCain launched a biographical "Service to America Tour" this week to define himself before he has an official opponent.
"We don't presume the American people know John McCain inside and out," said McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt.
While McCain's biography may be well known to older Americans, Pritchard said McCain may need to work harder to get his war-hero story out.
"Let's face it," Pritchard said, "John is older and this younger generation -- I don't know what they know about his life."
McCain, never a top student, said acing the American history portion of the Naval Academy entrance exam was one of his two crowning high school achievements. The other was his wrestling record for the fastest pin of an opponent.
In Alexandria, the second stop on the tour that heads to the Naval Academy Wednesday, McCain touched on education policy. Backing school choice, he said competition would benefit public schools. He praised teachers but said the government should encourage those who have "lost their focus" to "find another line of work."
And he said he supports the No Child Left Behind Act because it "recognizes that we can no longer accept high standards for some students and low standards for others."
The only awkward moment came when a female student asked about the motivation of the campaign stop.
"We were told this was not a political event," she said. "What is your purpose of being here?"
McCain joked, "I knew I should have cut this thing off."
"I hope that attendance here was not compulsory. If it was, I apologize," he said.
While student attendance was expected, it was not mandatory, a school spokeswoman said.