[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9424-9425]
[From the U.S. 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

                        Wednesday, May 12, 1999

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
congratulate the young scholars of Woodbridge High School from 
Bridgeville 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 1200 students from across the country who were in 
Washington, D.C. from May first to the third 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 students are: Derek Bowman, Mike Clendaniel, Lisa 
Culver, Joy Diogo, Laura Divver, Shawanda Garrison, Krsitine Haring, 
Cassie Hartzell, Brooke Hearn, Lina Hertzog, Heather Holmes, Jared 
Judy, Michele Keough, Matt McCoy, Josh Miller, Blake Moore, Andrew 
Morozowich, Jessica Parkinson, Willie Savage, Crystal Short and 
Lefeisha Williamson.
  I would also like to extend my congratulations to their teacher, 
Barbara Hudson, 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

[[Page 9425]]

educational program in the country developed specifically to educate 
young students about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The 
three-day final competition they participated in 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 representing 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 Woodbridge High School conducted research in 
preparation for the national competition here in Washington, D.C. I 
congratulate them for their fine work that enabled them to come so far 
in this competition and to visit our nation's capital.

                          ____________________