Current and former North Dakota Supreme Court Justices, court staff, attorneys, professors and members of the community served as judges Jan. 15 for the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution State Finals Challenge.
Eight teams from seven schools competed in the academic competition where students demonstrate their knowledge of the Constitution in simulated congressional committees. Serving as judges from the court system were Justices Daniel Crothers, Lisa Fair McEvers, Jerod Tufte, and Doug Bahr, retired Justice Carol Kapsner, law clerks Gabrielle Frawley and Taylor Schmidt, and Director of Education Lee Ann Barnhardt.
The panel of judges tested the expertise of the classes on the six units of the "We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution" textbook: What Are the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System? How Did the Framers Create the Constitution? How Has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence? How Have the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices? What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect? and What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-first Century?
The State Finals champion is the Edgeley High School team taught by Melissa Entzi. The students qualified to advance to the National Finals in Washington, D.C. The schools competing and their instructors were Bismarck Century (Shannon Sorenson), Edgeley (Melissa Entzi), Kidder County (Jennifer Kallenbach), Ellendale (Jeannine Gibson), Tioga (Ryan Albrecht), Hillsboro (Elliot Rotvold) and Washburn (Keith Jacobson).
The competition was held in Bismarck. Tony Weiler, executive director of the State Bar Association of North Dakota gave the opening address. North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong delivered the closing keynote and presented the awards.
The We the People Program is administered nationally by the Center for Civic Education. In North Dakota, the program is administered by Humanities North Dakota with the support of the State Legislature and the State Bar Association of North Dakota.
