Court News Ohio
Court News Ohio
Court News Ohio

Students Will Demonstrate Constitutional Knowledge at State Showcase

Despite summer vacation on their minds, more than 150 Ohio middle school students will compete in the Ohio Middle School We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution State Showcase today at Columbus State Community College.

The following schools will participate:

  • Columbiana South Side Middle School (Columbiana County)
  • Columbus East High School (Franklin County)
  • Gahanna Middle School South (Franklin County)
  • Middleburg Heights Junior High School (Cuyahoga County)
  • Sycamore Junior High School (Hamilton County)
  • Trotwood-Madison Middle School (Montgomery County)

For We the People, a program of the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education, students participate in simulated congressional hearings. They showcase their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles by evaluating, presenting, and defending positions on historical and contemporary issues. After providing a prepared answer to the competition questions, students answer follow-up questions from judges including college professors, judges, attorneys, and other community leaders.

Among the questions students will tackle: How does the right to due process of law protect an individual’s right to life, liberty, and property? What are the characteristics that a constitution or higher law should have and why are these characteristics essential to the protection of our natural rights?

Middleburg Heights teacher Robin Lashley, Trotwood-Madison teacher Jessica Parker, and Columbus East teacher Jordan Masterson, were participants in the 2016-17 James Madison Legacy Project, a federally funded grant program that supports teacher training in the content and implementation of the We the People curriculum.