By a student from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy
The
Center for Civic Education visited Our Lady of Lourdes Academy on Oct. 9 to attend an event where representatives from eight countries closely observed the AP Government class.
Representatives, from Peru, Panama, Slovakia, Dominican Republic, Czech Republic, Ghana, Bosnia and the United States of America observed the AP Government class, which also participates in a competition known as We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution. Members of the 2008-2009 Constitution team and students from the honors government class also attended the event, which was hosted in the school library. The Center for Civic Education, along with the representatives, visited the school to observe how the class is conducted, as well as the students’ participation in class.
“Many of these countries are fledgling democracies trying to introduce democracy in their own countries,” social studies department Chairperson Mrs. Rosie Heffernan said.
The class, taught by Heffernan, consisted of a lesson on freedom of speech. Heffernan included a PowerPoint presentation in her lesson, and aimed to show students how the first amendment affects people of all ages. The lesson included a study of the Supreme Court case Morse v. Fredrick, and both students and representatives were able to conduct a mock-trial session.
“It’s important to know how the Constitution affects all of us,” Heffernan said. “I wanted to choose a case the students could get excited about.”
The Center for Civic Education sponsors the We the People program, which the school has been competing in since 1991, and has won at the national level four times. Multiple countries have joined the Center for Civic Education program, in attempt to begin instilling democratic principles at the classroom level. Many countries have also developed programs similar to We the People.
“We the People is a microcosm of society where students can express their opinions and learn to respect each other,” Heffernan said.
Program Coordinator Mrs. Alexandra Galico organized for the representatives to attend the school.
“These exchanges are important for international and domestic participants; there are many lessons and best practices that the [representatives] can take back to their countries to promote civic education and youth engagement,” Galico said.
Different countries have been participating in the Center for Civic Education’s Civitas International Program since 1994, when Bosnia first joined the program.
“This project can help students understand how their government works and how they can make a difference,” Program Coordinator of the Bosnia chapter Mrs. Larisa Sacirovic said.
Photographs of the event can be found in the photo gallery section of Civnet.org. 
