[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9066]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO ``WE THE PEOPLE'' AND EAST KENTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 22, 2006

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the ``We the People'' 
program. From April 29 to May 1, 2006, approximately 1,200 students 
from across the country participated in the national finals competition 
of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, the most extensive 
educational program in the country developed specifically to educate 
young people about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. I am 
pleased to announce that East Kentwood High School from Kentwood, 
Michigan, received the Unit 3 Award in the competition. The ``We the 
People'' program is administered by the Center for Civic Education and 
funded by the U.S. Department of Education by act of Congress.
  The ``We the People'' national finals is a 3-day academic competition 
that simulates a congressional hearing in which the students 
``testify'' before a panel of judges on constitutional topics. Students 
demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional 
principles as they evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant 
historical and contemporary issues. Among the questions students 
responded to in this year's competition were: ``How would you 
distinguish a federal system from a unitary government and from a 
confederation?'' and ``What did the Framers hope to achieve by 
establishing a federal system of government?''
  The following outstanding students represented East Kentwood High 
School: Mark Alonso, Sefik Arapovic, Tyler Boyd, Michelle Burns, Aaron 
Dame, Karl DeVries, Kelsey Duinkerken, Branden Graf, Jessica Hoag, 
Jessica Hulbert, J.J. Jang, Jamie Overbeek, Alexa Schlosser, Paige 
Stevens, Peter Vu Tran, and Laura Vlieg.
  I also wish to commend the teacher of the class, Deborah Snow, who 
was responsible for preparing the students for the national finals 
competition. Also worthy of special recognition are Linda Start and Jim 
Troost, the state coordinators, and Susan Laninga, the district 
coordinator, who are among those responsible for implementing the ``We 
the People'' program in my district.
  Mr. Speaker and my colleagues in the House, please join me in 
congratulating these young constitutional experts for their outstanding 
achievement.

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