Representative Scott Jiu Wo Kawasaki
Alaska State Legislature District 9 Fairbanks
Media Advisory CONTACT: Mindy O’Neall
December 8, 2011 (907) 456-7423
Rep. Kawasaki Judges Regional Constitutional Civics Competition
(Fairbanks, AK) – Rep. Scott Kawasaki will join 17 other local business professionals, lawyers and community representatives and one hundred local high school students at the annual We the People regional competition Friday, December 9th at the Fairbanks School District Offices.
“It’s great to see young citizens take an interest in the Constitution and Bill of Rights,” said Kawasaki. “This is a way for students to learn and actualize the importance of these documents in our daily lives.”
Locally competing high schools include Lathrop, Monroe Catholic, North Pole and West Valley. The high school class bearing the regional title will then compete in the state finals on Feb. 3, 2012. The state competition determines the Alaska contenders for the national competition held in Washington DC April 27- May 1, 2012.
The We the People program is the most extensive education program in the country on the principles and values of Constitution and Bill of Rights, giving students a thorough understanding of their rights and responsibilities as American citizens. Students address topics such as the history and philosophical ideas underlying the Constitution, the development and expansion of the Bill of Rights, and the role of citizens in American democracy before a panel of judges. The program allows students to analyze constitutional principles and apply them to day-to-day life.
Rep. Kawasaki will speak in the closing ceremonies. “I am pleased to be able to address a group of young, active students who have worked hard for this competition, and am looking forward to the presentations.”
The Institute of the North is developing a similar program for the state constitution called We the People of Alaska, which has started a pilot curriculum in Anchorage this year.
For more information about the program, contact Maida Buckley at (907)750-9313, or the Center for Civic Education at www.civiced.org. For more information or questions regarding We the People of Alaska, contact Nils Andreassen at (907)771-2448.
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