The Oregon State Capitol was the place to be for more than 200 middle school students last month. It was Civics Learning Project\u2019s annual We the People and Project Citizen Days. For the first time ever, students\u2019 Project Citizen portfolios were on display in Governor Brown\u2019s beautiful ceremonial office.<\/p>\n
May 25 was We the People Day, a culminating event for students using the\u00a0We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution\u00a0<\/em>curriculum. Students participated in mock legislative hearings where teams of four to five students presented an opening statement on a constitutional issue which was followed by questions from panels of mock legislators. The legislator panels included students from 2nd<\/sup>-in-the-nation Grant High School Con Team, lawyers, and legislative staff. They probed the students’ understanding of constitutional issues, and the students responded with insight, knowledge, poise and polish!<\/p>\n The Project Citizen Showcase was May 25 and 26, including hearings on capitol hearing rooms on May 26. Described as \u201cscience fair for public policy,\u201d students researched and presented their work on local problems such as the effects of poor school attendance, the homeless, polluted waterway, domestic abuse, and more. Displayed in the Governor\u2019s ceremonial office, students\u2019 portfolios were scored by CLP staff, board members, and other supporters. Portland\u2019s Southwest Charter School, led by teacher Emily Conner, earned first place honors for its portfolio, \u00abDomestic Abuse Affects Everyone, Including Men.\u00bb Their portfolio advances to the national competition in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Hats off to the following schools and their teachers for participating:<\/p>\n