(Oklahoma City – Jan. 19, 2011) – Students from Enid High School and Norman High School will head to Oklahoma City Saturday to participate in the “We the People…The Citizen and the Constitution” competition. The annual competition involves simulated congressional hearings that give the students the opportunity to evaluate, take and defend positions on historical and contemporary issues. The competition kicks off at 8:30 a.m. at the Oklahoma Bar Center.
Three teams totaling 76 students from Enid High School and Norman High School are competing in the program. To prepare, the students have studied a curriculum that focuses on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution. For competition, each team will form six small groups with each group making remarks on a different topic in the hearing format. Following prepared presentations, students must answer questions, and judges score the team on its efforts in both segments.
“The We the People instructional program curriculum enhances students’ understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy,” said Oklahoma Bar Association Law-related Education Coordinator Jane McConnell. “Our simulated congressional hearings provide an avenue for high school students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles. The results of a nationwide research study affirm that students utilizing the We the People curriculum display significantly greater ‘political tolerance’ and commitment to principles and values of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”
We the People is sponsored by the California-based Center for Civic Education and the U.S. Department of Education. The OBA administers the We the People program locally through its Law-related Education Program.
OBA members as judges are Judge David Lewis, Judge Jerry Bass, Judge Daman Cantrell, Breea Bacon, Jack G. Clark Jr., Brian Hermanson, Kelly File, Richard Goralewicz, John Thomas Hall, Judge Lisa Hammond, David Hopper, Barbara Kinney, Jan Meadows, Jane Pennington, Jeri Towler and Mike Wofford. Other volunteer judges are Rep. Gary Banz, Jill Daughtery, Eugene Earsom, Margaret Ellis and Jim Sheffield.
State Alumni Representative and OBA member Brady Henderson will serve as a district coordinator along with Miguel Portillo, Rep. Ed Cannaday, Cheri Franklin, Dianna Morgan and Becky Walderbach. Other event volunteers are Karina Henderson and OBA member Adam Wilson, both program alumni.
The 16,000-member Oklahoma Bar Association, headquartered in Oklahoma City, was created by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to advance the administration of justice and to foster and maintain learning, integrity, competence, public service and high standards of conduct among Oklahoma’s legal community. |
