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2013 SESSION

13105356D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 214
Offered February 19, 2013
Commending Manuel Rios and the Midlothian Middle School "We the People" Team.
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Patron-- Ware, R.L.
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WHEREAS, when asked what the framers of the United States Constitution in 1787 had created and to the states conveyed for consideration, Benjamin Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it”; and

WHEREAS, “keeping” available for the people the principles of the Constitution requires the continuous transmission, from generation to generation, of the understanding of the text and also of the context of the Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Virginians were the principal authors not only of the Constitution, but also of the Anti-Federalist arguments against ratification of the Constitution, and also, after ratification, of the 10 amendments constituting the Bill of Rights; and

WHEREAS, James Madison of Montpelier in Orange County was the principal author of the Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the Montpelier Foundation’s Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier, among its many worthy endeavors, sponsors annually a “We the People” competition on knowledge of the Constitution for the public and private school pupils of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the “We the People” competition includes rigorous questions, both written, and, before a panel of distinguished judges, oral; and

WHEREAS, the champion of the “We the People” competition for the 2012 - 2013 school year is a team of pupils from Midlothian Middle School, under the tutelage of teacher Manuel Rios; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Rios avows that “Midlothian Middle has the smartest and the hardest working students in all of Virginia”; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Rios observes that his students “worked after school since early November to conduct their research and write their response statements”; and

WHEREAS, “While other schools make ’We the People’ part of the curriculum, Chesterfield Schools do not have the opportunity to incorporate it as part of our regular class,” indicating the dedication, in an extracurricular pursuit, of Mr. Rios’ students; and

WHEREAS, the students comprising the Midlothian Middle School’s championship “We the People” team include Gunther Abbot, Alina Alam, Nikki Aldridge, Omar Amr, Reshad Awal, Nick Bampton, JT Brooks, Ryan Buscaglia, Eric Campbell, Quan Chau, Madison Chazo, Bethany Crisp, Maggie Damico, Jason Funderburke, Yusuf Goulmamine, Mara Guyer, Siena Hart, Andy Monroe, Andrew Morris, Jake Petrillo, Simran Sarao, Jesse Singh, Kirsten Street, Grady Trexler, Luke Trexler, Caitlin Walker, and Harrison Wright; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Manuel Rios and his Midlothian Middle School statewide “We the People” champions of 2013 be commended and congratulated; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Manuel Rios and the Midlothian Middle School “We the People” Team as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration of their achievement in comprehending the history and meaning of the United States Constitution.