[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 28 (Monday, March 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S2298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE AMADOR VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL CIVICS TEAM

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, on May 1-3, 2004, more than a 
1,000 students from across the United States will converge on 
Washington, DC to compete in the national finals of the We the People: 
The Citizen and the Constitution program. Administered by the Center 
for Civic Education, the We the People program has a primary goal of 
promoting civic competence and responsibility among our Nation's 
elementary and secondary school students. It is the most extensive 
educational program in the country designed to educate young students 
about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and since its inception 
in 1987, more than 26 million students and 86,000 educators have 
participated.
  I am very proud to announce that Amador Valley High School in 
Pleasanton will represent the State of California in this year's We the 
People national final. Four years ago I had the honor of recognizing 
Amador Valley for winning California's contest, and am proud to be able 
to do so again today. On February 6, this year's class from Amador 
Valley placed first in California's statewide contest. The school has a 
rich tradition of excelling in this program, having won California's 
competition five times from 1992-2000, and even winning the national 
championship in 1995.
  During the national final, the class from Amador Valley will again 
have to testify as experts before a panel of judges on a wide variety 
of historical and contemporary constitutional issues. They will also be 
quizzed by the judges in an effort to illustrate depth of 
constitutional understanding, and ability to apply that knowledge. The 
competition is designed to resemble what hearings would be like in the 
U.S. Congress.
  I congratulate the civics class at Amador Valley High School for 
winning this year's California We the People competition, and wish them 
best of luck as they conduct research and prepare for the national 
finals.

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