DERBY — Thomas Orazietti, a senior at Derby High School, has been invited to attend the inauguration of the 43rd president of the United States.

The identity of the next president remains in doubt today, but Orazietti will be on hand Jan. 20 to see either Vice President Al Gore or Texas Gov. George W. Bush take the oath of office.

"My teachers keep making fun of me," said Orazietti, 17.  "They say I’m the first one to get invited to something that will never happen."

Orazietti will travel with a group of his peers selected to attend the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference Jan. 16-21 in Washington, D.C.  He will be the Naugatuck Valley’s representative.

This will be Orazietti’s second trek to the nation’s capital.  He was among 1,200 students from around the United States who attended a Congressional Youth Leadership Council conference in February.

The inaugural conference is open only to alumni of Congressional Youth Leadership Council programs.

"We spent the week in February learning about government and how the whole system works," Orazietti said.  "We acted as if we were members of Congress.  We had a lot of work, but they also gave us parties."

At the inaugural conference, the students will hold presidential debates and group meetings, he said.  Participants will play the roles of campaign managers, press secretaries and field directors to explore the electoral process and simulate a campaign.

The conference includes an invitation to an inaugural ball, for which Orazietti said he plans to borrow his father’s tuxedo.  His parents are Michael and Maureen Orazietti of Derby.

Although he has no plans to enter politics, Orazietti is interested in the government and said he would have supported Gore if he had been eligible to vote.

Ronald Luneau, who teaches U.S. history at Derby High School, was the catalyst behind Orazietti’s participation in the February conference.

"I recommended him because he’s got the whole package," Luneau said.  "He’s a good student, a good athlete and a good representative of a high-school kid."

Orazietti said the trip cost $1,100, which he has financed through donations from local companies and family members.

Founded in 1985, the youth council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.