A house RESOLUTION

to recognize and honor the students and teacher coaches from River Bluff High School who participated in the We the People competition and to congratulate them for winning the 2022 South Carolina We the People State Championship.

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to learn that the members of the River Bluff High School We the People team swept their competitors at the state competition held at River Bluff High School in Lexington on Thursday, December 8, 2022; and

Whereas, developed in 1976 to improve the ability of teachers to provide students with law-related education, the We the People program is sponsored by the South Carolina Bar Association's Law Related Education Division; and

Whereas, the goal of the competition is to increase education of the Constitution for students in South Carolina and across the country.  Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.  Volunteer attorneys throughout the State help to judge the day-long, simulated Congressional hearing in which students "testify" before a panel of judges; and

Whereas, the twenty-one students from River Bluff High School won the 2022 South Carolina We the People competition.  The competition challenges students to demonstrate knowledge of United States history and American government, with a specific emphasis on the United States Constitution; and

Whereas, the students received six units each of which contains three questions and focuses on specific topics ranging from the philosophical foundations of the government to contemporary applications of the Constitution.  The questions are divided among the team members each of whom has an assigned unit for which to prepare answers to the questions beforehand.  At the competition, the team members sit across from judges and give their prepared answers and then answer questions from the judges; and

Whereas, the River Bluff team won best unit in all six units of the competition, beating teams from around the Palmetto State; and

Whereas, teacher coach Linsy Dooley and her two assistant teacher coaches are to be commended for giving River Bluff students the opportunity to learn the history of this great nation in the context of its most treasured document, the Constitution, and in the process, to learn collaboration, time management, personal responsibility, public-speaking skills, and perhaps most importantly, civil discourse.  They learn how to support an argument with evidence and how to disagree respectfully with others, two very important skills in today's society; and 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives deeply appreciates the pride and recognition that the students in the River Bluff We the People team have brought to their school and to their community, and the members look forward to hearing of their continued accomplishments in the days ahead.  Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor the students and teacher coaches from River Bluff High School who participated in the We the People competition and congratulate them for winning the 2022 South Carolina We the People State Championship.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to teacher coach Linsy Dooley.

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