[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO SPEARFISH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 
              THE 1998 ``WE THE PEOPLE . . .'' COMPETITION

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to commend an outstanding group of 
students from South Dakota who have participated in the We the People . 
. . The Citizen and The Constitution program across our state this 
year. The We the People . . . program is an annual nationwide 
competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education.
  The We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution program is 
the most extensive educational program in the country developed 
specifically to educate young people about the Constitution and the 
Bill of Rights. The We the People . . . program has provided curricular 
materials at upper elementary, middle and high school levels for more 
than 75,000 teachers and 24 million students nationwide. This program 
is designed to help students achieve a reasoned commitment to the 
fundamental values and principles that bind Americans together as a 
people. The program also fosters civic dispositions on traits of public 
and private character conducive to effective and responsible 
participation in politics and government.
  Students from Marion High School, Harding County High School, Hot 
Springs High School, Rutland High School, and Spearfish High School 
showed a tremendous amount of talent and exhibited a great deal of 
diligent study in a state competition last month in Pierre, South 
Dakota. Students participated in simulated congressional hearings as 
the culminating state activity for the We the People . . . program. 
Each class, working in cooperative teams, prepared and presented 
statements before a panel of subject experts who acted as congressional 
committee members and posed challenging questions about the 
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our democratic system. The format 
provided students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of 
constitutional principles and their understanding of civic 
responsibility.
  These teams had the support and guidance of their teacher and local 
advisors, which is essential in such a challenging competition. Curt 
Sage and Principal Mark Rockafellow from Marion High School, Paul 
Rystrom and Principal Allen Dvorak from Rutland High School, Marty Wood 
and Principal Gary Peters from Hot Springs High School, and John 
Pfitzer and Principal Charles Maxon from Harding County High School are 
to be commended for their involvement and for providing an educational 
environment in their schools that encourages teachers and students 
alike to participate in this type of program.
  The Spearfish High School team won the state competition and will be 
visiting Washington next week to compete in the national competition. 
The Spearfish team is well prepared for what will be an exciting and 
competitive final round here in Washington on May 2-4. The members of 
the Spearfish team representing South Dakota in the national finals 
are: Melissa Bauman, Tricia Beringer, Toni Bickford, Andy Binder, Pam 
Blair, Chelsea Collins, Christian Colaiacoro, Nicole Dana, Jason 
Delahoyde, Jacob Dell, Justin Huck, Lucas Humbracht, Sara Jensen, 
Brandy Lensegrav, Wade McDonald, Justin Nicholas, Eric Nies, Kirby 
Sand, Jason Schoental, Becky Stokes, Amy Sylvester, Mikayla Tetrault, 
Jonathon Watson, and James Williams. I am very proud of their 
accomplishments and wish them well in the national competition.
  I would also like to recognize their teachers, Patrick Gainey and Tom 
Freece, for their tireless efforts over many months in working with 
these talented students. The district coordinator, Lennis Larson, also 
contributed a significant amount of time and effort in working with all 
South Dakota schools who participate in the program.
  I commend all the South Dakotans Constitutional scholars who have 
participated and worked so hard. Our South Dakota student team from 
Spearfish is currently conducting research and preparing for the 
upcoming national competition. I wish the students and teacher the best 
of luck at the We the People . . . national finals, and I look forward 
to meeting them when they visit Capitol Hill and the Senate.

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