(Oklahoma City – Jan. 20) – Norman High School students will head to the State Capitol Saturday to participate in the statewide “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 10 a.m. in the Capitol Hearing Rooms.
To prepare for the program, 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.”
The Norman team will compete against teams from Enid High School and Rock Creek in Bokchito in hopes of advancing to the national competition. Educator Dianna Morgan is the We the People program district coordinator for the team members, and Sandranel Bahan is their teacher. Competing students are: Yetunde Adebayo, Suliat Alabi, Chad Anderson, Evan Askey, Chelsea Barrett, Molly Buck, Bridget Burns, Dyannah Canon, Brandon Cook, Michael Denney, Angelica Drake, Ranya Forgotson, Michael Grzybowski, Robert Hardisty, Tyler Howe, Luke Hullinger, Hayoung Jung, Joy Malicki, Marilyn Kozlowski, Mollie McIver, Stephen Meiller, Gwendolyn Nelson, Alyssa Palmer, John Parker, Andrew Phillips, William Ramsey, Eva Schmidt, Willis Sontheimer, Nicholas Suit, Jordan Williams and Russell Wiseman.
We the People is sponsored by the California-based Center for Civic Education and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The OBA administers the We the People program locally through its Law-related Education Program.
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. |
