Carmel Magazine

rom the Federalist Papers of the 1780s, to Tinker vs. Des Moines in the 1960s, and into the present day, the Constitution of the United States was born and continues to exist as a living document shaping our lives of liberty under law. Once Nader Agha became familiar with this document as a teenager in Syria, he was determined to come live in the United States, which he did as soon as he was able as a young man. So when a dear friend, Lillian King, died one month short of her 104th birthday in 2011, Mr. Agha made a dream he shared with her come true by establishing the Dan and Lillian King Foundation. The primary mission of the Foundation is to support educational programs and activities related to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights with emphasis on the principles of freedom, liberty and justice. Funded by her estate, the Foundation has been able to make the Constitution become a vivid part of the lives of eighth graders throughout Monterey County for one solid week of their schools' social studies curriculum. Working through the Monterey County Office of Education, the Foun- dation funds the development of a special Constitution program each year, preceded in the summer by special teacher training and involving instruction, essay writing, and trips to Washington DC or Philadelphia for the essay winners and their teachers. The program began in the 2012-2013 school year with three County schools and has continued this year with four, the plan being to expand the number to six next year. This year, plans are in progress that will allow the addition of a summer school component of the program featuring a refurbished centuries' old tall ship docked at Pier 1 in Monterey. Students volun- teering to participate will learn not only the role of such ships in the lives of the framers of the Constitution by experiencing short journeys on the ship, but will also attend classes on the Constitution while aboard. Future plans include the addition of debates, plays, and creative art focused on the Constitution to integrate it into all aspects of a student's life. At an awards ceremonies each year, Mr. Agha tells students how important the Constitution has been to his life as an immigrant to the United States, like many of the students in the audience. In turn, reading thank-you letters to Mr. Agha and the rest of the Foundation board, the award recipients tell how they anticipate their trip to Washington or Philadelphia will affect their lives. Along with the students' teachers, County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Kotowski attends the ceremonies, conducted by Jordan Alexander-Santana, coordinator and administrator of English learning and secondary education. Families of the students are also in attendance in what proves to be a very moving experience for all involved. The schools participating in 2013-2014 are Main Street Middle in Soledad, Los Arboles in Marina, Washington Middle in Salinas, and North Monterey County in Castroville. The photos here feature the four essay winners from each school at this year's March ceremony. Here is an example excerpted from one of the essays: "in the case of Mary Beth Tinker vs. Des Moines School District…Mary Beth and a few other students were against the war in Vietnam…and decided to wear armbands. The school district [did] not let them wear these armbands. Mary Beth and her parents saw this as a violation of their First Amendment Right and…filed suit against the school district. [The Supreme Court] ruling in this case was to let them wear the armbands." The sixteen winners, four from each school, will visit Washington DC with their teachers in April. ~Ron Weitzman, Secretary-Treasurer, Dan and Lillian King Foundation Contact: ronweitzman@redshift.com F Congratulations to the Winners of the 2013/2014 Constitution Essay Contest! Constitution Ad_SP14_Final_Layout 2 4/20/14 8:03 PM Page 1

• Cover