[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRATULATIONS TO STUDENTS FROM HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MELISSA A. HART

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 2004

  Ms. HART. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
congratulate the students from Hampton High School in Allison Park, 
Pennsylvania, who will travel to Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2004, 
to compete in the national finals of the We the People: The Citizen and 
the Constitution, a highly prestigious academic competition on the 
Constitution. It is an honor to represent such dedicated students and 
teachers.
  The high school students have studied for months with their teacher, 
Mr. Cliff Stevenson, in order to prepare themselves for their roles as 
experts testifying on constitutional issues in a simulated 
congressional hearing. They placed first in both the district and State 
competitions earlier this year to represent the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania in the national finals. The annual 3-day competition is 
the culminating activity of the We the People: The Citizen and the 
Constitution, the most extensive education program of its kind in the 
country. Since last fall they have studied We the People, a text 
developed by the Center to provide students with a fundamental 
understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
  The We the People program is funded by the U.S. Department of 
Education and is directed by the Center for Civic Education in Los 
Angeles. According to Stephanie McKissic, Director of Education at the 
National Constitution Center, ``There is no finer educational program 
that fosters in our younger generation the concepts and understanding 
of our constitutional heritage, leading them to a reasoned commitment 
to its fundamental principles.'' Since the program's creation over 15 
years ago, it has reached more than 26.5 million elementary, middle, 
and high school students nationwide.
  I ask that my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives join 
with me in honoring these devoted high school students and teachers 
from the Fourth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. It is truly an 
honor to represent such an outstanding group of students and teachers.

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