Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civics Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students from John Stark presented We the People civics work; program expanding to four schools
Summary
Dan Marcus introduced students from John Stark’s We the People civics program; student Molly described how the competition improved her critical thinking and interest in law. Marcus said the program now includes four schools and highlighted judges and competition format.
Dan Marcus, introduced at the meeting as the district’s We the People instructor, described the program’s mock-congressional-hearing format and introduced students who competed in district and state competitions.
Marcus said the program runs a sprint-style preparation through November and culminates in panels where students answer prepared and impromptu questions from judges, who have included federal judges, professors and legislators. He said the district’s program has grown to four schools and that participating students often perform at college-level rigor.
Student Molly told the board the course strengthened her critical thinking and inspired her to pursue law after high school. Marcus and a school observer highlighted Molly’s role as a core contributor on a team that lost a member to illness yet still used evidence and case law effectively in competition.
Board members thanked Marcus and the students and encouraged expanding the program; the board discussed teacher recruitment and district-level promotion to draw more schools into competitions.
