Half Hollow Hills East High School Wins Award at the 23rd Annual National "We the People" Competition

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Students from Half Hollow Hills East High School -- Photo Credit: Center for Civic Education

ALBANY, NY (05/03/2010)(readMedia)-- Students from Long Island's Half Hollow Hills East High School (Dix Hills) were awarded the Northeast Regional Award at the national finals of this year's We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution competition held recently in Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Recognized for excellence in knowledge of the Constitution and for applying constitutional principles to current events, the students from Half Hollow Hills East High School continued their success after winning the competition's statewide championship in March.

The annual three-day final competition is the culminating activity of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, the most extensive education program of its kind in the nation. The New York State Bar Association's Law, Youth and Citizenship Program (LYC) administers the nationwide program in New York. LYC is the third-largest civics and law-related education program in the country.

"The We the People competition is a wonderful program for students to showcase their talents in civics," said James Hanlon, chair of the LYC Program. "Our committee has been a proud sponsor of the program for many years, and applauds the recent success of our New York State winner, Half Hollow Hills, for its regional award at the We the People national finals."

Led by teacher Scott Edwards, the class from Half Hollow Hills East High School was presented with the Northeast Regional Award for having the highest cumulative score during the first two days of the prestigious national competition. Students representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands participated in several simulated congressional hearings covering topics on the Constitution and on the Bill of Rights.

Students participating on behalf of Half Hollow Hills East High School included: Sonia Bonsal, William Choi, Suraj Chopra, Suhaira Choudry, Sara Cordano, Jacob Dorfman, Rahul Doshi, Carly Emmer, Spencer Fogel, Alyssa Hasbrouck, Shivani Kapadia, Sarah Khan, Matthew Miecnikowski, Jackson Mlawer, Brittany Nadler, Shawn Pasternak, Trevor Reddick, Chelsea Renter, Olivia Serigano, Sachin Sharma, Sohini Sheth, Aaron Siev, Jason Stern, Sophie Waldman, and Kaitlyn Walsh.

Implemented nationwide in upper elementary, middle, and high schools, the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program has reached more than 30 million students and 81,000 teachers since its inception in 1987. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by Congress and directed by the Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, California.

The Law, Youth and Citizenship (LYC) Program promotes citizenship and law-related education in schools throughout New York State. LYC assists educators in creating opportunities for students to become effective citizens able to participate fully in our democratic society. To learn more about the LYC Program, please visit http://www.lycny.org.

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Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.