[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 8, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING CESAR CHAVEZ PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR THEIR 
  PARTICIPATION IN THE WE THE PEOPLE: THE CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION 
                            NATIONAL FINALS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2010

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, in April 2010, more than 1,200 students 
from across the country took part in the We the People: The Citizen and 
the Constitution national finals in Washington, D.C. I am proud to 
announce that a class from Cesar Chavez Public Charter School--Capitol 
Hill Campus represented the District of Columbia at this prestigious 
national event. These outstanding students, through their knowledge of 
the U.S. Constitution, won their city-wide competition earning the 
chance to compete at the national level.
  While in Washington, the students participated in a three-day 
academic competition that simulated a congressional hearing, in which 
students demonstrated their knowledge and skills as they evaluated and 
defended positions on historical and contemporary constitutional 
issues. Annual surveys consistently show that high school students who 
take part in the We the People academic competition outperform other 
students in the National Assessment of Educational Progress political 
test by at least 22 percent.
  Madam Speaker, the names of these outstanding students from Cesar 
Chavez Public Charter School--Capitol Hill Campus are: Kim Diaz, Marco 
Gomez, Karen Mejia, Jason Allen, Jesse Balderas, Briana Bullock, Joel 
Carela, Jaleel Dyson, Kendra Goodwin, Ely Guerrero, Corey Johnson, Jose 
Maheda, Anthony McCannon, Christian Mondragon, Nakea Paige, Ryan Pope, 
Alexis Rhett, Leticia Rivera, Elizabeth Rogers, Paul Schmidt, Jaztina 
Somerville, and Jade Vaughn.
  I also wish to commend the teacher of the class, Dionna Shinn, who 
was responsible for preparing these young constitutional experts for 
the national finals. Also worthy of special recognition is Julie 
Harris, Director of Public Policy at Cesar Chavez Public Charter 
School, for her tireless commitment to the students on the District's 
team and implementation of the rigorous curriculum at the Cesar Chavez 
Public Charter School.
  I congratulate these young constitutional experts on their 
outstanding achievement at the We the People national finals.

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