Congratulating East Brunswick High School's We the People Team

CONGRATULATING EAST BRUNSWICK HIGH SCHOOL'S WE THE PEOPLE TEAM-HON. RUSH D. HOLT (Extensions of Remarks - March 12, 2004)

HON. RUSH D. HOLT
OF NEW JERSEY
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2004

Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, starting on May 1st, 2004, students from across the United States will arrive in Washington, D.C. in order to participate in the national finals of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, which is an extraordinary civic education program developed to educate American youth about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. By act of Congress, We the People is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and administered by the Center for Civic Education.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that the class from East Brunswick High School will represent the State of New Jersey in this prestigious national event. These bright and dedicated students, through their extensive knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and superb reasoning and speaking skills, won their statewide competition and earned the chance to come to our Nation's capital and compete at the national level. I congratulate them, and I am confident that the students of East Brunswick High School will do a fine job of showing the Nation the very best that New Jersey has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, over a 3-day period, the We the People national Final Competition will test the abilities of the students in hearings, which are modeled after those actually held in the U.S. Congress. Through the We the People program, students are given an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge before a panel of constitutional scholars, judges, lawyers, and journalists, while they evaluate, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.
Testimony will be followed by questions designed to examine the students' knowledge and implementation of constitutional concepts, as well as their ability to apply that knowledge. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for these students to receive proper recognition for their hard work.

We the People has been shown to be a very effective measure in combating the important problems of apathy and cynicism in our Nation's youth. I can think of no better way of stimulating interest in government than total immersion in it. Nowhere else can these students learn more about their government than here in our Nation's capital. Many independent evaluations have validated the effectiveness of the program's ability to impress a positive attitude upon students about civic matters.

I ask my colleagues to join me in sending best wishes to all the participants at the We the People national finals, as well as in all their future endeavors, and applaud their achievement. Programs like We the People keep the thirst for knowledge alive in our youth. Our democracy is only as effective as those who choose to take part in it, and We the People will ensure that generations to come will make that choice. Our Nation should be proud that they are dedicated to learning and advocating the fundamental ideals and principles that define us as Americans and bind us together as a Nation.