SENATE RESOLUTION 47

(By Senators Romano, Facemire, Unger, Lindsay, Baldwin, Jeffries, and Stollings)

[Introduced February 19, 2020]

Recognizing the Clay County High School “We the People” team for winning its sixth consecutive West Virginia state championship.

Whereas, “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” is the flagship civic education program of the Center for Civic Education, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education organization that administers national and international civic education programs; and

Whereas, “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” was developed in 1987 and adopted by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, chaired by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, as the principal education program of the U.S. Constitution’s Bicentennial; and

Whereas, The “We the People” program culminates with a simulated congressional hearing during which students “testify” before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress; and

Whereas, Participating students must demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and evaluate, take, and defend positions relevant to historical and contemporary issues competing at local, congressional district, state, and national levels; and

Whereas, Participating high school classes in “We the People” compete from December to February in state competitions throughout the country and, each spring, the state champion and wild card classes are eligible to participate in the “We the People” National Finals in the Washington, D.C., area at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia. The competition culminates with a top-12 final round to determine the national winner; and

Whereas, Sixteen students enrolled in the fall 2019 Advanced Placement Government and Politics class at Clay County High School; and

Whereas, In June 2019, these Clay County High School Advanced Placement Government and Politics students began studying the United States Constitution extensively in preparation for the “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” competition; and

Whereas, Clay County High School advanced to the State “We the People” Competition on November 14, 2019, as the Congressional District 2 Champions; and

Whereas, Clay County High School were crowned State Champions of the “We the People” competition on January 24, 2020, by defeating Congressional District 1 Champion Tyler Consolidated and Congressional District 3 Champion Shady Springs High School; and

Whereas, Clay County High School has won six consecutive state championships in the “We the People” competition and, for the sixth straight year, will represent the State of West Virginia at the National “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Competition” in Washington D.C.; and

Whereas, The Advanced Placement Government and Politics class from Clay County High School is taught by Philip Dobbins who proudly serves as coach of the “We the People” team along with assistant coach Michael Mullins; and

Whereas, The Clay County High School students in the 2019-2020 Advanced Placement Government and Politics class and the “We the People” team members are: Kelsey Prather, Jaydin Cogar, Julia Holcomb, Caleb Atha, Nicholas Evans, Owen Nottingham, Elijah, Payton, Emily Hayes, Jefferson Hymer, Anastasia Knopp, Aden Knopp, Tyler Cummings, Hayden Morris, Zoe Davis, Austin Smith, and Autumn Stone; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby recognizes the Clay County High School “We the People” team for winning its sixth consecutive West Virginia state championship; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Clay County High School “We the People” team.