Hundreds of High School Students to Spend Saturday Exploring American Politics

State Bar Association Welcomes New York’s Best and Brightest to Albany

ALBANY, NY (03/05/2008)(readMedia)-- Nearly 250 New York high school scholars will gather Saturday, March 8 2008, at the Desmond Hotel in Colonie, New York, to compete in simulated Congressional hearings as part of the State Finals of the We the People competition. We the People: the Citizen and Constitution is an intensive curriculum sponsored by the New York State Bar Association that provides students with a fundamental understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and directed by the Center for Civic Education in Los Angeles. Nationwide, the program is offered at the upper elementary, middle, and high school levels and has reached nearly 30 million students during its 20-year history. The State Bar Association sponsors and implements the program in New York.

“Civic education is vitally important and this program encourages young people to get involved and is a fantastic way to teach students about our government and their rights,” State Bar Association President Kathryn Grant Madigan (Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP) said. “The Bar Association is committed to doing its part to ensure that New York State produces the most educated and respected young people across the nation and I applaud the students who are participating in this valuable educational program.”

A diverse group of students, representing nine schools throughout New York State, will participate. The students and their teachers have studied the We the People text for months to prepare for their roles as experts testifying on constitutional issues in a simulated congressional hearing. Each class will testify at six distinct morning hearings, with teams awarded points by volunteer judges from throughout the state. Constitutional scholars, lawyers and government leaders, acting as congressional committee members, will judge the student performances.

The New York State Bar Association’s Law, Youth and Citizenship (LYC) Program and the Center for Civic Education are the official sponsors of the We the People Program and the high school competition. The program is made possible through the volunteer efforts of teachers who serve as congressional district and regional coordinators, and members of the community who preside over the high school simulated congressional hearing. Funding is provided by U.S. Department of Education by an act of Congress through the Center for Civic Education and the New York State Bar Association. Teacher training and textbooks are also made available.

The program is available for grades 4-12 and any public or non-public school class may participate. The high school competition is limited to students in grades 9-12. For further information, contact Eileen Gerrish, LYC Program, NYSBA, lyc@nysba.org.

Schools participating in this year’s We The People finals are Forest Hills High School (Queens), Fort Plain High School (Fort Plain), Half Hollow Hills East High School (Dix Hills), Herrick’s High School (New Hyde Park), James Madison High School (Brooklyn), Edward R. Murrow High School (Brooklyn – Defending Champions), Smithtown High School West, Stuyvesant High School (Manhattan), and Westfield High School (Westfield, NY).

The 74,000 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. Founded in 1876, NYSBA programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.