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Bar News - June 3, 2005 Project Citizen Reflects Variety of Student Concerns We the People...Project Citizen" continues to grow in popularity. The goal of the contest is to provide students with the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skill required for citizen participation in civic government. Attorneys who take part in the judging from year-to-year have noticed steady growth in students' understanding of how laws work. "Some of the presentations are very impressive," said Quentin Blaine, "I really enjoy reading them-and it's rewarding to know that my input may help students understand the legal system better." The competition was held for the first time at the Legislative Office Building in Concord on Friday, May20. Project Citizen is a national endeavor funded in part by the Center for Civic Education and New Hampshire has taken part for about four years. Each submission must include a portfolio describing an area of community/school life that needs changing and containing a study of how students may advocate for change, even to creating or modifying current laws. Students must also provide a visual display, using posters, which will reflect their written presentation. The range of interests is broad, as the list of projects and the accompanying photos indicate. For instance, "Making It to the Finish Line" is concerned with how to reduce the high school drop-out rate; "Can You Spare a Cup of Coffee?" deals with mercury levels in New Hampshire's fresh water sources; and "Overweight Back Packs" focuses on the damage that may result from students' carrying back packs that are too heavy. There were seventeen submissions in all. According to Valenda Morrissette, Coordinator of the LRE department of the NHBA, said the criteria for judging the tabletop portfolios include clarity, breadth of information, support given, proper documentation, adherence to Constitutional guidelines, and graphics (poster display). Winners take part in the National Showcase held in conjunction with the National Conference of State Legislators, to be held in August in Seattle, Washington. The following schools participated this year, some with multiple entries: Lisbon Regional School, Lisbon; Fairgrounds Jr. High School, Nashua; Cooperative Middle School, Stratham; West Running Brook Middle School, Derry; Alton Middle School, Alton. Judges from the legal community included: Omer C. Ahern, Sanbornton; Carolyn W. Baldwin, Concord; Thomas G. Field, Pierce Law Center; Laurence J. Gillis, Rye; Jane F. Taylor, Keene; Maura Carroll, New Hampshire Municipal Association; Susannah Colt, Bedford; Robert D. Hunt, Gilford; Martin P. Honigberg, Concord; Dawn E. Worsley Caradonna, Nashua; Robert A. Lubitz, Milford; Lisa M. Lee, Concord; Dawn E. DiManna, Fremont; Quentin Blaine, Concord District Court; and Melissa Ogle, from the NH staff of U.S. Senator John E. Sununu. Nancy Stiles, House of Representatives Education Committee, Barbara Hull Richardson, State Representative and Lynne B. Merrill, Sr. Legislative Assistant, House of Representatives visited the displays. The Cooperative Middle School of Stratham submitted the winning entry titled, "Can You Spare a Cup of Coffee-Mercury Levels Rising." Teacher Amy Vandersall said, "Mercury is rising! This project investigates the topic of mercury pollution in New Hampshire's fresh water. The suggested solution is stricter enforcement of current laws, and requiring more use of smokestack control filters." The portfolio included another suggestion: that coffee shops use filtered water when making their coffees. (Hence the title of the project.) Students found that the profits of coffee shops would be only minimally affected by such a step. The students who worked on the project were: Justin Evans, Troy Murphy, Chris Spear and Andy Armstrong. |
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