Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/506796
rom the Federalist Papers of the 1780's to Tinker vs. Des Moines in the1960's and 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 Foundation 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 continued last year with four and this year with five. Plans are in progress that will allow the addition of a field-trip component to the program featuring a "physicalization" of the curriculum. Ideas include a Constitution Maze (the more you know the faster you get through) and a Constitution Walk (on a path through time with a signpost for each significant Constitution event). 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 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, and how important it can be in theirs. 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 and speaks at the ceremonies, conducted by Michelle Muncy-Silva, Administrator, Language and Literacy, in the Monterey County Office of 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 2014-2015 are Main Street Middle in Soledad, Los Arboles in Marina, Washington Middle in Salinas, North Monterey County in Castroville, and Chalone Peaks Middle School in King City. The photos here feature the four essay winners from each school at the March ceremony this year. The twenty 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 2014/2015 Constitution Essay Contest!