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2006 News Articles › NCBA Hosts Annual We The People Finals
Article Date: Thursday, February 16, 2006
Written By: Russell Rawlings
Northwest Guilford High School of Greensboro has retained its crown as state champions of the annual We the People competition hosted by the North Carolina Bar Association and its Lawyers in the Schools program.
Lejeune High School from the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in Onslow County placed second with East Mecklenburg High School of Charlotte taking third.
A project of the Center for Civic Education funded by the U.S. Department of Education, We the People features a high school competition component involving simulated congressional hearings.
Students throughout the state prepare for the competition by completing their We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution text. Each team member then testifies as an expert witness on one of six units within the text. Judging is based on understanding, constitutional application, reasoning, supporting evidence, responsiveness and participation.
The state finals were conducted Feb. 10 in the N.C. Legislative Complex. Neil Siegel of the Duke University School of Law and U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge provided remarks during the afternoon awards ceremony. Southeast Regional Coordinator Franklin White of We the People and Leanor Hodge, co-chair of the NCBA Lawyers in the Schools Committee, presented the awards.
Each school won at least one of the six individual unit competitions, which speaks highly of the level of competition and preparation set forth by each team.
Northwest Guilford’s championship team, led by teacher Ray Parrish, was comprised of Elizabeth Billheimer, Mark Bowles, Adam Brown, Alan Carter, Anthony Cunningham, Zack Dawson, Julia Demetrius, Heather Fillipo, Laurel Gillespie, Kendall Hedding, Chelsea Hicks, Geoff Irons, George Ivanov, Erin Jones, Justin Kaat, Daniel Kilgore, Jun Ku, Ryan Lucas, David F. Luther, Bradley Lynn, Thad Mckinnon, Pete Miller, Jahon Nanaji, Ben Oliver, Jenna Richards, Laura Robson, Kelley Schott, Greg Shepherd, Elia Simaan, Brandon Simmons, Emily Tennant, Sam Wells, Kelsey Whitehouse and Lindsay Womack.
The Lejeune team, led by teacher Patricia Robblee, was comprised of Raniyah Al-amin, Brian Conner, Catherine Crum, Greg Day, Daniel Griffith, Cody Jackson, Emily Kampa, Maggie Kramer, Katherine Marshall, Amanda Rodriguez, Liz Tesch and Hannah Winters.
The East Mecklenburg team, led by teacher Martha Deiss, was comprised of Songine Clark, Kat Clinkscales, Sierra Davis, Torie Dominguez, Liz Eagle, Alex Fergusson, Kaitland Finkle, Jana Fowler, Jordan Gray, Joseph Grier, Octavious Hough, Jonathan King, Jacob Leach, Chelsea Morgan, Lauren Nejberger, Greg Raynor, Nolan Speice, Meryl Stark, Lesley Stewart, Chad Thomas, Kevin Williams and Nii Yartey.
The collaborative efforts of Lawyers in the Schools and We The People mesh perfectly with the mission of the NCBA. Throughout its 107-year history, the NCBA has endorsed broader understanding of the constitutional principles of freedom, democracy and law, as evidenced in the opening line of the NCBA Mission Statement, which reads “To serve the public.”