[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 65 (Monday, May 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          WE THE PEOPLE . . . THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 5, 2003

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
congratulate the young scholars of Smyrna High School, in Smyrna, 
Delaware who represented my home state of Delaware in the We the People 
. . . The Citizen and the Constitution program. They were part of a 
group of 1,200 students from across the country who came to Washington, 
DC, to compete in the national finals of this program. These young 
scholars worked diligently and persistently to reach the national 
finals and through this program have gained a deeper knowledge and 
understanding of the fundamental principles and values of our 
constitutional democracy.
  The names of the honored students are: Kevin Allen, Christy Baldwin, 
Joshua Chavez, Tiffany Coleman, Mike Crain, Alana Cruz, Jennifer Davis, 
Tom Garnett, Ashley Gillespie, Stacey Goldsberry, Joshua Hastings, 
Rebecca Huff, Erica Huss, Melvin Jamann, Amber Lech, Aaron McKinney, 
Jordan Mebane, Mary Naylor, Shannon Neal, Jessica Oliver, Michelle 
Paulish, Jason Reames, Justin Ritter, Souvenir Ros, Bill Spencer, 
Stacey Sudler, Heather Szymanski, Alison Wilson, Kalyn Wolbert, and 
Mustafa Zia.
  I would also like to extend my congratulations to their teacher, Mr. 
Marc Deisem, who deserves much of the credit for the success of the 
team.
  The We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution program is 
the most extensive educational program in the country developed 
specifically to educate young students about the Constitution and the 
Bill of Rights. The three-day final competition consisted of hearings 
modeled after those in the United States Congress. The students made 
oral presentations before a panel of adult judges and testified as 
constitutional experts before a ``congressional committee.'' A panel of 
adult judges represented various regions of the country and a variety 
of appropriate professional fields served on the congressional 
committees. These judges followed up the testimonies with a series of 
questions designed to test the students' depth of understanding and 
their ability to apply constitutional knowledge to given situations.
  The We the People program is administered by the Center for Civic 
Education, and has provided curricular materials at upper elementary, 
middle and high school levels for more than 26.5 million students 
nationwide. This program has promoted civic competence and 
responsibility among young students as well as awareness for 
contemporary relevance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
  The team from Smyrna High School conducted much research in 
preparation for the national competition here in Washington, DC. I 
congratulate them for their fine work that enabled them to come so far 
in this competition and to have visited our nation's capital.




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