KIPP DC: KEY Academy Holds Annual Simulated Congressional Hearings

Seventy-five KIPP DC students from Ms. Gabriela Stiteler's 8th grade U.S. History classes participated in the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program at KEY Academy last week. The simulated congressional hearings last Thursday, November 19, featured student testimony before a panel of three judges on a range of constitutional topics, from natural rights philosophy to the role of a citizen in U.S. society. Following are some pictures of the hearings in progress:

At the conclusion of the KIPPster's panel presentations and questioning, the students received awards for their study of the We the People curriculum. D.C. Councilmember Yvette Alexander signed the awards presented by her Communications Director, Andre Johnson.
One team from each unit will advance to the city-wide We the People competition to represent KIPP DC: KEY on January 14, 2010. Winning teams were selected from each of the three homerooms based on scores in six criteria as determined by 18 volunteer judges from outside the school. Here are a couple KIPP students receiving their medals as the winning team: