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Through My Eyes... |
First Amendment Kids!
Sep 05, 2005
By Cornelia Spelman
Students from Nursery Road Elementary School Educate State Legislators About Liberty
At the Seattle Convention Center in August, students from Nursery Road Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina , under the leadership of Principal Mary Kennerly, presented a program to an audience of state legislators from all over the country about how their school practices First Amendment rights and responsibilities. Five children spoke of registering voters at the high school, writing a constitution, and honoring others' rights. They illustrated their mnemonic device, "R.A.P.P.S" --for Religion, Assembly, Petition, Press, and Speech-- read from a book they wrote about the (fictional)day "the President lost the First Amendment" and needed to have a South Carolina schoolchild rush to Washington to tell him about it. They ended their presentation with a song about the Constitution.
I was among those thrilled spectators who rose to give a standing ovation to these articulate, dynamic young people. Their poise and dignity and their easy command of First Amendment rights--and responsibilities-- was inspiring.
During this time in our country when one cannot rely on candor from Washington, when a New York Times reporter is jailed, when demonstrators are kept fenced and blocks away from the President, the fresh, enthusiastic, and straightforward example of the importance of the First Amendment rights from these Nursery Road Elementary School students was revitalizing.
Nursery Road is one of several dozen schools, public and private, participating in the First Amendment Schools project, a national school reform initiative sponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the First Amendment Center. The program aims to support schools that model and apply First Amendment principles throughout their communities.
"While all of us are born with certain inalienable rights," said First Amendment Schools coordinator, Sam Chaltain, "none of us is born with the wisdom to exercise those rights. It takes practice. And where else but in our nation's schools will our next generation of Americans acquire that practice?"
Sam Chaltain introduces the Nursery Road students
Quoting Justice Learned Hand, Chaltain said, "Liberty resides in the hearts of men and women, and when it dies there, no Constitution, no law, no court, can save it." Then, introducing the five Nursery Road Elementary students, he added, "It is my honor to introduce to you five future leaders, in whose hearts liberty surely resides."
The presentation can be viewed at http://www.tvw.org/MediaPlayer/Archived/WME.cfm?EVNum=2005080077C&TYPE=V (Fast forward to about 11:44 on the timer to the beginning of the presentation)
First Amendment Schools can be found at http://www.firstamendmentschools.org Click Project School Profiles to learn more about Nursery Road school.