Perfect union: East team tops in constitutional knowledge
John C. Ensslin
Published May 6, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
A team of students from Denver's East High School took top honors Monday in Washington in a national competition on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
It was the second consecutive year that East has won the competition, which drew 1,200 high school students from all 50 states and the Mariana Islands.
"They're just ecstatic right now," said their teacher, Susan McHugh, who teaches an advanced-placement class on U.S. government and politics. "They have put in thousands of hours of work to become experts on the philosophical, historical and legal issues of our country. I'm proud that we will have these people as citizens of the United States."
To win the top prize, the 27 juniors and seniors had to deliver prepared statements and answer questions on 17 different constitutional topics, such as affirmative action, free speech and trial by jury.
They did so during three days of mock congressional hearings held in the Senate committee chambers where Gen. David Petraeus and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were grilled during recent hearings on the Iraq war.
Law professors, state Supreme Court justices, mayors, congressional aides and lawyers played the part of inquisitive senators as the students sat in witness chairs.
The room was a bit intimidating, said Jacob Zax, an East High junior. "It definitely gave you a sense of where you are and how big a deal it was," he said
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May 6, 2008
8:19 a.m.
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Marshdale writes:
I thought civics was dead in public schools. I never took a civics class in high school because I thought it was boring. I later realized how important it is to maintaining the integrity of our system. This is just damned cool. I applaud the teachers and students. Great job to all of you. The only thing I would like to see different is an effort to get students who don't fit in the advanced placement category interested in civics. Students like I was in high school. I was smart but an underachiever at the time. We as a society should make civics a broad based goal for all. I am astonished at the level of ignorance I encounter on a daily basis about our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Fantastic though. Keep up the good work. Just remember kids will learn this stuff, they just need a cause to get behind for inspiration.
May 6, 2008
9:33 a.m.
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farsidefan writes:
Kudos ! These kids are terrific. Guess what ? Our schools have lots of kids like this. Maybe not at quite this level but damn good students.
Marsh, I understand. I think in some districts it might be a mandatory course. As everyone in the world tries to "fix" education, they are all focused on more tests in math, science, reading and writing. Sometimes there is no time in the day for Civics. CSAP scores and the SAR reports don't include Civics.
I know someone who was involved in writing Civics standards for the state. Similiar to the other standards. It still hasn't gotten any traction by the state. Why ? it is not a subject that is needed to comply with the state and federal regulations.
Can you imagine how hard it is to get students interested in Civics ? You are competing in a world of I Pods, cell phones, instant gratification and besides " civics is dumb."
I am waiting for all the anti education posters to jump on here and tell us how these kids would have been better off at a private school, or how they could have used vouchers to be better.
May 6, 2008
2:03 p.m.
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junglegymco writes:
Great Job! I know East is not without its problems, so it's fantastic to hear of such a spectacular win!
May 6, 2008
2:49 p.m.
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Paul80435 writes:
Congratulations to the students and staff at East High School. To win two years in a row is very impressive!
Thomas Jefferson noted that the kind of government we have demands an education population. Yet most Americans know far too little about our Constitution, history, and the political philosophy that led to the creation of the government we have today.
Let's hope many of these young people are planning on careers in politics, law, and education. They will do well and continue to make the rest of us very proud!
Paul Sampson
Executive Director
Understanding Politics.org