2016 Constitutional Academy

0:04 this week students from all over the nation have come to Washington DC to participate in the Bill of Rights Institute’s 2016 constitutional Academy my name is Fran McCann and I’m from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania my name is Nick hinman from Olathe Kansas i am from the suburbs of salt lake city utah and I’m from Topeka Kansas I’m from Wyoming I’m from nixa missouri i am from florida as

0:27 part of the Academy students are immersing themselves in all the branches of our federal government constitutional academy has been incredible it was I’d ever into DC before so it was an awesome trip and an awesome campus and I’ve never had such receptive teachers before who just moved so much with the student body and understood what we wanted when we came into this week and I learned a

0:47 ton more than I have my entire school year an incredible group of ideologies and people who have these amazing thoughts on what America is and what the Constitution really means in the Declaration of Independence we have 60 students here at the Bill of Rights Institute this week for constitutional academy they will be learning everything

1:07 from the citizenship in the digital age to criminal justice reform to free speech we will hear from experts from all across the country from our military to our lawyers to experts that are here within the government in DC I’ve met a lot of really unique individuals with amazing outlooks on life that I might not have considered had I just stayed at

1:28 home in Kansas so it’s really been kind of like a life building moment it’s meant so much to me to be in a Washington DC kind of like the birthplace of our country where we are able to tour and see the things that really mean a lot to America because from where I’m from we don’t say that very much high school kids from all across the country just super super

1:49 passionate about you know the foundations of American society and the foundations of free society it’s just been so awesome just kind of see their eyes light up everywhere we go we’re only a couple days in right now and you just see the fire inside all of these kids and how passionate they are about the articles of freedom the deck duration of Independence the Constitution the Bill of Rights

2:09 constitutional Academy has just been an incredible experience I still remember whenever I got not accepted emailed it I nearly cried I was just so excited and this experience is just been absolutely phenomenal and really helping to challenge by beliefs and help me solidify what I want to do in the future students will be able to debate different topics from immigration to

2:32 criminal justice from free speech to the Second Amendment this week my favorite part has been having like-minded people to discuss political topics with it’s not often that you see people with this level of political understanding to even be able to have a conversation with little um debate I mean I think debating anybody against your position or researching the other side always

2:52 broadens your understanding of the topic regardless of what it is as part of the week students are visiting the newseum the archives of the National Cemetery and other famous sites throughout Washington DC my favorite part about constitutional academy was probably our trip to the Capitol building because i’m kind of a politics nerd anyways I spend

3:14 most of my time being in the capital of kansas at our Capitol building anyways so seeing the kind of difference that there is and then meeting my own representative from the second District Kansas was something like I had never been able to do before something that just took my whole like experience to the next level to be somebody in that office and to actually speak to somebody

3:35 who holds what would be like considered one of my life goals my favorite part about constitutional Academy has probably been going to the newseum on Tuesday I know that I personally want to be an international or political journalist in the future and getting to see the exhibits especially about Edward Murrow who is my personal journalistic hero has just thin amazing I was so so excited to go and it’s great my favorite

3:56 set to be visited had it been Arlington Cemetery I have a fame with a long line of military history sitting a place I meant so much people my family and so much to me was really cool Arlington National Cemetery I I had to restrain myself from crying actually because my dad actually served in the Navy at age 17 and it just helped me think about all the reasons that we

4:20 go to war and the freedoms we protect and the things that men and women sacrifice their lives for and I just never put that into perspective before until walking through and touring Arlington National Cemetery just seeing how much men and women have actually given up to serve our country and to protect my freedoms thank you so much to

4:40 the Bill of Rights Institute this was an awesome opportunity thank you Bill of Rights Institute thank you Bill of Rights Institute thank you so much bill of rights institute for this opportunity and please continue to do for kids in the future so they’ve the same amazing opportunity it’s exciting to think that these guys these kids are the future

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