[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         WE THE PEOPLE . . . THE CITIZENS AND THE CONSTITUTION

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                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2000

  Mr. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the We the People. . . 
. The Citizen and the Constitution program, and applaud the outstanding 
East High School students that came to Washington, DC, after winning 
the state competition and went on to win an Honorable Mention as one of 
the top ten finalists in the national finals. These young scholars have 
worked diligently to make it to the finals and their hard work has 
gained them a deep knowledge and understanding of the fundamental 
principles and values of our constitutional democracy.
  The names of the students are: Adrienne Cassart, Emma Douglas, Kelly 
Durcan, Jill Friedman, Aaron Goldhammer, Jessica Harvey, Elizabeth 
Hultin, Matt Johnson, Casey Madison, Merrin McCabe, Emily Olson, Joe 
Pallett, Elisha Roberts, Evan Samples, Erica Simms and Grant Wylie. 
Additionally, I would like to commend their teacher Edna Sutton who 
deserves much of the credit for the success of this great team and 
recognize the District Coordinator, Loyal Darr, and the State 
Coordinator, Barbara Miller.
  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 three-day national competition is modeled after 
hearings in the United States Congress. These hearings consist of oral 
presentations by the students acting as constitutional experts before a 
``congressional committee'' made up of a panel of judges acting as 
Members. The student testimony is followed by a period of questioning 
during which the judges probe students for their depth of understanding 
and ability to apply their constitutional knowledge.
  I know first hand how well this program works because I was a 
volunteer coach for years at a high school back in my district in 
Denver, whose students have done extraordinarily well in the We the 
People. . . . competitions over the last decade. East High School has 
been among the top ten finalists most years since they have competed, 
and they won the competition in 1992.
  Once again, I commend the East team for winning the state competition 
and winning Honorable Mention as one of the top 10 finalists in the 
national finals.

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