Mrs. Thurgood Marshall and Mary Beth Tinker to Highlight 2008 Constitutional Literacy Awards Celebration at AU's Washington College of Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 13, 2008) The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project at American University's Washington College of Law will host its annual William H. Karchmer Awards Ceremony and Celebration from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14. The event will be held at the Washington College of Law at 4801 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
(PressZoom) - WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 13, 2008) The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project at American University�s Washington College of Law will host its annual William H. Karchmer Awards Ceremony and Celebration from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14. The event will be held at the Washington College of Law at 4801 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
During the event, Washington-area high school students will display their oratory and constitutional knowledge and ideas.
Mrs. Thurgood Marshall will be in attendance, along with Mary Beth Tinker of the landmark Supreme Court case, Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District. At age 13, Tinker was suspended from her junior high school for refusing to remove a black armband she wore in protest of the Vietnam War. In this groundbreaking case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that essential free speech rights extended to students.
The local high school students, who are taking constitutional literacy classes taught by WCL students, have participated in various competitions throughout the year. The winning teams of the national moot court competition will present oral arguments in this year�s case. A student will read the winning constitutional-themed essay and another student will display the winning constitutional-themed artistic and musical submission.
Washington, D.C., schools with Marshall-Brennan programs that have been invited to the event are Ballou, Bell, Cardozo, Dunbar, Duke Ellington, Eastern, Paul, Roosevelt, School Without Walls, and Wilson high schools; as well as Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md.
The agenda is as follows:
9:30-10 a.m: Sign-in and breakfast
10:05-10:15 a.m.: Introduction
10:15-10:20 a.m.: Call-up and recognition of fall and spring moot court finalists
10:20-10:30 a.m.: Essay winner and runner-up; winner reads essay
10:30-10:40 a.m.: Welcome from Maryland State Sen. and Marshall-Brennan Director Jamin Raskin
10:45-11:30 a.m.: Performance of �Now Let Me Fly: The Struggle Toward Brown v. Board� by Maria Cebulska
11:30-11:45 a.m.: Mary Beth Tinker video and remarks
12:05-1:00 p.m.: Lunch and distribute participation certificates
1:00-1:10 p.m.: Presentation of Mary Beth Tinker Award to Sarah Boltuck of Bethesda, Md.
1:10-1:15 p.m.: Presentation of WCL BLSA scholarship to a D.C. high school student
1:15-2:00 p.m.: Poetry slam
2:00-2:10 p.m.: T-Shirt and poetry competition winners
2:10-2:30 p.m.: Open mic
2:30 p.m.: Concluding remarks and T-shirt distribution
The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Program is a unique and highly acclaimed program that sends more than 50 AU Washington College of Law students into local high schools to teach students about their constitutional rights and responsibilities. The curriculum is based on the book We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About Students (CQ Press and the Supreme Court Historical Society, 2000). Written by AU law professor Jamin B. Raskin, the book examines 35 cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that address the constitutional rights of students. Issues explored in the book include religion in public schools, prayer at school athletic events, illegal locker searches, random drug testing of athletes, sexual harassment in schools and student free speech.
To attend the celebration or for other media assistance, call Diane Bickel with WCL�s Office of Public Relations at 202-274-4279 or AU WCL law professor Steve Wermiel at 202-274-4263.
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