[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 52 (Monday, April 28, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3757-S3758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO THE GORHAM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN 
  THE ``WE THE PEOPLE . . . THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION'' PROGRAM

 Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay 
tribute to 21 students from Gorham High School in Gorham, NH, who were 
recently selected to compete in the national finals of the ``We the 
People
. . . the Citizen and the Constitution'' program to be held April 26-28 
in Washington, DC. These high school students competed on the State 
level on February 10 for the opportunity to represent New Hampshire at 
the national competition, and will be among more than 1,200 students 
from 49 States and the District of Columbia to participate.
  The distinguished members of the team representing New Hampshire are: 
David Arsenault, Jan Bindas-Tenney, Melissa Borowski, Alyssa Breton, 
Mire Burrill, Kevin Carpenter, Todd Davis, Rebecca Evans, Brad Fillion, 
Cindy Gibson, Patrick Gilligan, Sean Griffith, Reid Hartman, Sarah 
King, Michelle Leveille, Monica McKenzie, Ashley Thompson, Michael 
Toth, Julie Washburn, Tuuli Winter, and Melanie Wolf.
  All 21 New Hampshire students will be tested on the Constitution and 
Bill of Rights before simulated congressional committees to demonstrate 
their knowledge of constitutional principles and their relevance to 
contemporary issues. The competition in Washington will consist of 2 
days of hearings; and the 10 finalists, with the highest scores, will 
compete for the title of national winner on Capitol Hill in a 
congressional hearing room.
  Michael Brosnan, a teacher at Gorham High School, also deserves 
special recognition for helping these students prepare for the intense 
constitutional testing. Raymond Kneeland the district coordinator of 
the ``We the People . . . the Citizen and the Constitution'' program, 
Holly Belson, the State coordinator, and Howard Zibel, of the New 
Hampshire Bar Association, all contributed a significant amount of time 
and effort to help the students reach the national finals. As a former 
teacher myself, I applaud all of them on their

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commitment to enriching the lives of these students.
  The ``We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution'' program 
provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain an informed 
perspective about the history and principles of our Nation's 
constitutional government. I wish these young constitutional experts 
from Gorham High School and their teacher, Michael Brosnan, the best of 
luck in preparing for the April national finals. We are proud to have 
them representing New Hampshire, and wish them luck as they prepare to 
be America's leader in the 21st century.

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