Central Region

1^st Place – Parker Jackson, Lyman High School, Principle: Limited Government, Teacher: Nicole Moretti

2^nd Place – Taylor Porchey, Houston Christian High School, Principle: Limited Government, Teacher: Susan Henson-Perry

3^rd Place – Trevor Rohn, Hays High School, Principle: Representative Government, Teacher: Abby Maska

Honorable Mention – Lindsey Moreno, Moreno Christian Home School, Principle: Individual Liberty

Midwestern Region

1^st Place – Scott Remer, Beachwood High School, Principle: All Men Are Created Equal

2^nd Place – Bethany Carson, Home School, Principle: Individual Liberty

3^rd Place – Ellora Franklin, Franklin Home School, Principle: Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances, Teacher: Catherine Franklin

Honorable Mention – Cody Franklin, Franklin Home School, Principle: Individual Liberty, Teacher: Catherine Franklin

Northeast Region

1^st Place – Kathleen Fogg, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Principle: Private Property, Teacher: Karen Ferris-Fearnside

2^nd Place – Chloe Volkwein, Greenwich High School, Principle: Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances, Teacher: Aaron Hull

3^rd Place – George Xie, Marlboro High School, Principle: Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances, Teacher: Shanna Howell

Honorable Mention – Morgan McGann, Greenwich High School, Principle: Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances, Teacher: Aaron Hull

Honorable Mention – Min Jae Yun, Gould Academy, Principle: Individual Liberty

Southern Region

1^st Place – Jonathan Richards, Rabun Gap Nacoochee School, Principle: Individual Liberty, Teacher: Christopher Bedea

2^nd Place – Nicholas Harrison-Trent, West Forsyth High School, Principle: Representative Government

3^rd Place – Sarah Hendrix, First Assembly Christian High School, Principle: Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances

Western Region

1^st Place – Brandon Spicer, Homelink Yakima, Principle: Limited Government, Teacher: Ann Bowman

2^nd Place – Jordan Finney, Lake City High School, Principle: Private Property

3^rd Place – Sina Torabi, Palm Desert High School, Principle: Limited Government, Teacher: Mark Wipf

Honorable Mention – Kathleen He, Middle College High School, Principle: Representative Government

Honorable Mention – Jacob Pankey, Coronado High School, Principle: Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances

Honorable Mention – Cristal Suarez, San Joaquin Memorial, Principle: Individual Liberty

Ady Steinbach, a junior from Johns Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri, took 1^st place in the Great Plains region. Ady chose freedom of speech as her civic value and felt Martin Luther King, Jr. most embodied the American character. In her essay Ady wrote, “Studying American history … has ensured that I will exercise my valuable right to free speech in the future as my political beliefs and involvement expand.”

Jacqueline Markey, a sophomore from Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan, took 1^st in the Great Lakes region. Courage is the civic value Jacqueline chose to write about in her essay and she felt the individual who most personified the American character was James Meredith. Meredith was the first African American student to attend the University of Mississippi. For Jacqueline, part of what makes America great is that “when one courageous voice speaks out for what is right, even if it means thousands turn against him, the course of history can be changed.”

Ady and Jacqueline were joined by Noah Lingwall from Clarion, Pennsylvania. Noah took 1^st in the Mid-Atlantic region and is a sophomore at Clarion Area Jr.-Sr. High School. Noah chose individual liberty as his civic value and Harry Truman as the person who best typified that principle American character. “The passion for individual liberty that our Founding Fathers laid out … is alive and well today,” Noah wrote. “President Harry Truman exemplified this passion through his courage in the 20^th century.”

Sarah Hutchins from Hope, Rhode Island is the 1^st place winner in the New England region. Sarah’s sister Haley won 3^rd place in the 2009-2010 Essay Contest. Sarah, who is home schooled by her mother Ellen (featured in picture on the left), chose equality of opportunity as her core civic value. In her essay, Sarah expressed gratitude for those who struggled to obtain equal opportunity, specifically Abigail Adams, who Sarah chose as the person who best exemplifies this American characteristic. “I am thankful for influential people like Abigail Adams, who strived for equality of opportunity in the Founding of this country,” she wrote, “and for documents that support equality, like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

In the South-Atlantic region, Zachary Thompson took 1^st place. Zachary, who is from Fleetwood, North Carolina, attends Ashe County High School and is in his junior year. Zachary chose individualism as his civic value because he feels individualism is what stops Americans from being “bound to serfdom and slavery.” Zachary noted further that, “Since 1776, American culture has been the forerunning example of the power and virtue of individualism.” Zachary picked Murray Rothbard as the American who best illustrates this characteristic.

Ashlee Smith, from Kuttawa, Kentucky, took home 1^st place in the Mid-South region. Ashlee, who chose justice as her core civic value, is junior at Lyon County High School. For Ashlee, Thomas Jefferson is the American who best represents and grounds a sense of justice. In her essay Ashlee wrote, “ The importance of justice can be seen through the enduring actions of men like Thomas Jefferson, and the positive impacts of Founding documents such as the Bill of Rights.” (In the picture on the left, Ashlee is joined by Robert Testwuide, Bill of Rights Institute Board Member, John Stossel, and Juan Williams).

Lea Sedwick is the winner in the South Central Region. Lea hails from Kennedale, Taxes and is a senior at Grace Preparatory Academy. Lea’s teacher, Nancie Hall, has had a student place in every Being an American Essay Contest since 2007. For Lea, equality stood out as a pinnacle civic value because it “is the foundation on which our republican form of government was built.” Lea chose Thomas Jefferson as the person who best demonstrates this principle and she credited him and the other Founders deriving from equality the idea that government power rests in the people’s consent for “if all equal, no man can establish rule over another without his permission.” (In the picture on the left, Lea is joined by her classmate and 2nd place winner, Payton Ten Hagen (left), her teacher, Nancie Hall (center)).

Michael Tharratt, a junior at Oak Ridge High School, placed 1^st in the Pacific region. Michael calls El Dorado Hills, California his hometown. In his essay, Michael wrote about self-reliance as a core American civic value. “Dependency is a rot hidden at the core of any civilization … the cure for dependence, however, is at the heart of American ideals: self-reliance; the ability to prosper and forward oneself through faith in oneself, and through one’s own actions.” Michael chose Benjamin Franklin as the person who best embodies the American character. Michael is featured on the left with his teacher, Matthew Hodgins.

Heidi Sorensen took home 1^st place in the Mountain region. Heidi is a senior from Gunnison Valley High School in Gunnison, Utah. Heidi considers persistence is a civic value that grounds so much of what it means to be American. In her essay, Heidi wrote, “I believe that if we are persistent through whatever comes, we will become a stronger and more united nation. If we persevere, we will always have success.” For Heidi, Abraham Lincoln best personifies this value.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Being an American Essay Contest! Check out more of their essays and pictures of their time in D.C.!

Next, we took the students to go visit the offices of their Representatives in Congress. I went with Ryan Shymansky, who was able to meet his Congressman, Jason Altmire from Pennsylvania’s 4th District. Representative Altmire had created a certificate of achievement to award to Ryan to congratulate him on being a finalist–how cool!

All the students had a different experience meeting the staff working to represent their districts–one of our students, while talking to a House staff member from his district, found out that they had both graduated from the same high school! The student winners also loved seeing and exploring the underground tunnels that connected each of the Congressional office buildings. (Did you know that there are salons and shopping in those tunnels, too?)

After the trip to the House offices, we had lunch in the Cannon building with some Congressional staff members and a great speaker, Matthew Spalding. The students got to feel like they were actual “Hill Staffers” for a day!

Our last destination before the Being an American Essay Contest Gala was the National Museum of American History, where students got the chance to look at the exhibits on Abraham Lincoln, the First Ladies’ dresses, the history of war in the United States, and more! After the museum, the students were anxious for dinner and to find out who won the $5,000 of prize money for First Place essays, so we went back to the hotel to freshen up for the Gala.

First, we kicked off the day at the National Archives, where everyone went into the Rotunda to see the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The students enjoyed the opportunity to see our Founding documents that they wrote about in their essays.

Next, the students went over to the Capitol and walked onto House floor–the room where the House of Representatives meets to vote on bills. What a rare opportunity! We were accompanied by former Congressman Mickey Edwards (R-OK), who told a bit about the history of the room and what it’s like to work as a civil servant. When asked about words to inspire the Essay Contest winners, he said, “Democracy is not a spectator sport,” and that he would encourage all students to run for office, but acknowledged that there are many other ways to change history and improve the world without holding an office.

Next, we traveled over to the Supreme Court, where we learned about the judicial process and the history of the Supreme Court building. We saw a giant statue of Chief Justice John Marshall as well as the marble spiral staircases and the actual chamber where the Court convenes and hears arguments.

We finished off the night with a tour of the monuments – I love seeing those great tributes to history all lit up at night! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings, with students visiting the offices of their members of Congress, as well as the official celebration dinner and Gala, and the announcement of the first-place winners!

Be sure to visit or Facebook and Twitter pages from live updates tomorrow and first announcement of winners!

From the National Council for Social Studies Charter on Civic Virtues

Benjamin Franklin image from the Franklin Institute

It was the moment 16-year old Benjamin Franklin had been waiting for. Watching from his hiding place as the last workers locked up the newspaper building he squeezed his precious essay one last time and secretly slipped it under the editor’s door. Since his mentors had little interest in his opinions because of his young age, he had written his manuscript under the fictitious identity of a middle-aged widow he had named Silence Dogood. He chose the name to express his appreciation for civic virtue: his desire to do good. Little did he know it would be the first of fourteen letters he would anonymously pen as Silence Dogood, and the first of many manuscripts he would write on virtue throughout his life. He just wanted to engage in the discussions about the issues of his time. He wanted to express his patriotism. He wanted to share his voice.

Since I first read about Benjamin Franklin’s imaginative deception I have thought of it an important lesson for those of us working as civic educators. The fact that his aspirations and his potential were overlooked by his mentors is instructive. Today’s teenagers are not unlike him.  Many have a strong desire to engage in discussions about the issues and values of our time; to express their patriotism; to share their voices. We want to be sure to recognize these qualities in young people, validate them, and provide constructive direction for them. Indeed, it is our civic duty to do so!

In both the Greek and Roman societies it was the responsibility of adults to provide moral education and instill an appreciation of virtues and the importance of a virtuous culture to young people. America’s Founders went further making it clear that the nation’s very existence was dependent on a virtuous people.  James Madison said, “To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.”  In this regard the National Council for Social Studies Charter on Civic Virtues states that, “The fostering of civic virtue is a critical task for our nation’s schools.”

One way teachers can help students connect with the virtues of their American heritage is to take a lesson from Benjamin Franklin: have them write about them. The Bill of Rights Institute’s Being an American Essay Contest is the perfect template for such an approach. The contest asks students to trace a civic value through the American story. They are asked to:

• Identify a civic value they think is most essential to being an American
• Write about a Founding document that reflects this value
• Describe how a figure from American history embodies this value
• Give examples how they personally have or will put this value into practice

The contest boasts a generous prize package offering nine regional first place awards of $5,000 each along with a three-day educational trip to Washington, D.C. Since teachers have such an important role in training young people about American’s civic virtues, and because they are doing so via the contest, they are awarded matching prizes if their students win.

More important than the prizes, the assignment enables students to reflect on the importance of values we esteem as Americans, and then personalizes their work by asking them to apply their chosen value to their own lives. I ask students to write their essays so they are proud of them and put them on their wall to inspire them. Over the four year history of the contest, 100,000 students have written essays reflecting the importance of virtues as expressed in our Founding documents and in the lives of our heroes.  It provides students a voice and a mechanism to connect with and process important American ideals.

Young people are looking to adults for direction and guidance in life. They are looking for values they feel are worthy of them.  Social studies teachers are in a unique position to expose students to the importance of civic virtues in this regard. Champion the teaching of civic virtues in your classroom. Take a lesson from sixteen your old Benjamin Franklin. Recognize your student’s potential to be virtuous citizens and both teach and inspire them to DO GOOD!

Juan Williams on what it means to be an American

Teachers, don’t forget you still have 40 days to submit your students’ essays.