[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 22 (Thursday, February 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE McALLEN MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL CONSTITUTION TEAM

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                          HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge an outstanding 
group of young scholars from my Congressional district. The McAllen 
Memorial High School Constitution team recently won the Texas state 
title at the ``We The People, The Citizen and the Constitution'' annual 
competition. Remarkably, this is the McAllen team's 10th State win in 
13 years. They have also been successful nationally, finishing among 
the top ten finalists in 4 out of 10 appearances.
  I am proud to represent a community that produces students with such 
a passion for learning the democratic principles and foundation of our 
government. I congratulate the team members and their parents for this 
extraordinary achievement. I congratulate the team members and their 
parents for this extraordinary achievement. The members of the team are 
thirteen high school seniors; Erika Garcia, Brian Trautman, Victoria 
Montemayor, Allison Glass, Gregory Goldsmith, Danessa Litam, Gisela 
Medina, Edwin Monroy, Kelly Monroy, Jeffrey Murray, Steffy Phillip, 
Sabrina Tully, Brian Van Burkleo. Ms. LeAnna Morse coached the team. I 
wish these students success when they compete at the national 
competition in April, here in Washington, DC.
  In closing, I would like to share with my colleagues an article that 
ran in the McAllen Monitor highlighting the accomplishment of these 
young constitutional scholars.

            McAllen Constitution Team Wins 10th State Title

                            (By Juan Ozuna)

       McAllen.--Hamilton, Madison and Franklin would be impressed 
     with the McAllen Memorial High School Constitution team.
       The 13-member team comprised of high school seniors was 
     named state champion in the We The People, The Citizen and 
     the Constitution competition in Austin Jan. 4.
       It is the 10th time in 13 years the group has won the 
     competition, sponsored by the State Bar of Texas.
       ``They really demonstrated an ability to think on their 
     feet,'' said LeAnna Morse, a government teacher and the 
     team's coach. ``I'm really proud of them.''
       During the competition, each team is divided into groups of 
     three. These trios each face a panel of attorneys, educators 
     and community leaders and make a three-minute presentation on 
     the Constitution. They answer questions asked by the panel of 
     judges and are awarded points for their answers.
       ``This was a small team, so they had to carry extra weight, 
     and they really rose to the occasion,'' Morse said.
       Teams usually have 15 members. To help train the group, 
     Morse asked some friends and other community people to come 
     in to the class to act as judges for her team.
       ``We'd have practices and invite attorneys and academics to 
     judge them so they could have the full experience,'' Morse 
     said. ``When you practice, you always try to anticipate what 
     questions you'll be asked in the follow-up.''
       Mick West, history coordinator for McAllen school district 
     and a sponsor of the team, accompanied the students to the 
     competition, which he said was extremely competitive.
       ``They did an outstanding job,'' he said. ``It was very 
     close. They have a great reputation.''
       Team member Erika Garcia said there was a lot of pressure 
     on the students to perform well because of their reputation.
       ``It's good to know that we fulfilled that tradition one 
     more year,'' Garcia said. ``Our sponsors have prepared us 
     very well.''
       Teammate Brain Trautman said he also felt the heat of the 
     competition, calling the win ``a relief.''
       ``I'm really excited,'' he said. ``I can't wait to go to 
     nationals to compete.''
       As the winning team, the McAllen Memorial High School 
     students will be sent to Washington, D.C., in April to 
     compete against the top team from each state.
       Though Morse's teams have seen top-10 finishes at the 
     national level, the highest they ever placed is fourth.
       Though also excited about being able to attend the national 
     Constitution competition, Victoria Montemayor said she would 
     be more focused on the sights.
       ``I just want to see the actual documents,'' Montemayor 
     said. ``I want to see the monuments, see all the places you 
     see in the books.''
       Other students on the team include Allison Glass, Gregory 
     Goldsmith, Danessa Litam, Gisela Medina, Edwin Monroy, Kelly 
     Monroy, Jeffrey Murray, Steffy Phillip, Sabrina Tully and 
     Brian van Burkleo.

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