(Oklahoma City Jan. 30) – Norman High School outscored two other teams to be named state champion in the “We the People – The Citizen and the Constitution” competition held Jan. 26 at the state Capitol. Social studies teacher Sandranel Bahan’s team will advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C. beginning on May 3.
For the competition, the team studied the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution. They formed small groups to make six presentations on different topics during simulated congressional hearings. The six units were scored individually, with Norman winning three of the units and earning the highest overall score.
The Oklahoma Bar Association administers the We the People program locally through its Law-related Education Program.
“The We the People competition showcases students demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of how democracy works in the United States,” said OBA Law-related Education Coordinator Jane McConnell. “Our judging panels listened to their prepared opening statements and followed up with questions. Students then had to explain their positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues facing our society.”
The students represented Oklahoma Congressional District Four, and educator Dianna Morgan is the We the People program coordinator for the district. Winning students are: Kristiana Baez, Jason Byas, Zach Cejda, Caitlin Charlson, Andrew Connery, Courtney Crites, Lauren Estridge, Jerret Fowler, Kathryn Gardner, Karen-Pilar Garvin, Calli Giles, Hajra Habib, Julie Halterman, Emma Hunsaker, Taylor Hutchinson, Austin Jones, Andrew Keeler, Lauren Meadors, Kyle Mellon, Donald Mendoza, Zach Myers, Christiona Reid, Jack Renfroe, Ariel Richter, Morgan Rohring, Tabitha Schone, Tooba Shafiq, Miranda Shaughnessy, Kyle Steele, Seth Strout, Jacob Tsotigh and David Westrop.
Enid High School took second place in the competition. The Rock Creek High School team, from Bokchito, came in third place.
Congressional District Two sent a team from Central High School to the Showcase Competition.
We the People is co-sponsored by the California-based Center for Civic Education and the U.S. Department of Education.
The 15,000-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. |
