Chamblee Charter High Students to Represent Georgia in National Contest on U.S. Constitution

A group of students from Chamblee Charter High School, in Chamblee, Ga., will travel to Washington, D.C., this spring to represent Georgia in the national finals of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, a prestigious civic-related academic competition.

Led by teacher Stephen Rubino, the Chamblee students have studied for months to prepare for their role as experts testifying on constitutional issues in a simulated congressional hearing. To represent their state at the national finals, the class won first place from among classes in 13 congressional districts in Georgia's state competition held on Dec. 11, 2004, at the State Capitol.

The winning class included: Christopher Agocs, Laura Akins, Nkiruka Arinze, William Buckmaster, Stephanie Drewicz, Zachary Fox, Rahmel Fuller, Sarah Gorday, Tabitha Hippolyte, Nene Igietseme, Daniel Jacobs, Briana Kelly, Payal Kenia, Yasmin Nuru, Leslie Pirkle, Mark Ray, Jonathan Rosen, David Shoenig, Kaitlyn Stanhope , Valencia Thurman, Jonathan Toups, Maya Velasco, Mary West, Joshua Wilkerson, Katelyn Willis, and Wesley Wingo.

Georgia state coordinator John Hoge, an associate professor of social science education in UGA's College of Education, has high hopes for the Georgia team. He wants the team to finish in the top 10 at the national competition this year and to compete for the national championship within five years.

The national competition involves entire classes making presentations and answering questions on constitutional topics before a panel of judges recruited from across the country which includes constitutional scholars, lawyers, and and government leaders. The first rounds will be held at the Hyatt Crystal City in Arlington, VA, April 30 and May 1. The combined scores of the classes during the first two days of hearings will determine which 10 teams will compete in the May 2 championship round in House hearing rooms on Capitol Hill. The winning classes will receive awards at a special ceremony that evening at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel.

During their stay in Washington, the students will tour historical sites and museums in the area and visit Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss.

The We the People program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is directed by the Center for Civic Education in Los Angeles. More than 26 million students and 82,000 educators from every state in the nation have participated in this innovative curriculum during its 18-year history.

Wednesday, January 5, 2005
WRITER: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889, mchilds@coe.uga.edu
CONTACT: John D. Hoge, 706.542.4416, jhoge@coe.uga.edu