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WE THE PEOPLE CONSTITUTION TOUR: NEW SEASON OF TOURS STARTING NOW 2013-14 Challenge Winners Congratulations are in order! Kathryn Alwon of Jefferson Academy and LaTonya Davis of Paul Public Charter School led their students to the winning entries in the classroom challenge and each won $300 toward educational resources for their schools. Monica Shaw of Brightwood Education Campus brought her students in to second place and $200 winnings, while Damon Williams of Paul PCS and Sean McGrath of Stuart Hobson Middle School each won $100 with their classes. e submissions showed the hard work and dedication teachers put forth daily to reach their students. e use of technology and the internet, incorporation of hands-on and cooperative learning opportunities, and experiential learning connected classroom work to the tour for all the students who participated in the challenge. THE CAPITOL DOME 51 Feedback from a McKinley Middle School teacher: "My kids had an awesome awesome time!....ey were so into it even through the cold. I can't wait to see how they incorporate this into their projects and read their reflections. ank you so much for putting this out there for the social studies teachers. Now, for as long as they live my students will be able to say 'I've been there," and as lovers of history we know how important this is. anks again!" Kathryn Alwon (center) and her students at Jefferson Academy cel- ebrate their winning entry in the classroom challenge with Al Wallis, executive director of the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Inter- est, and Rebecca Evans, vice president for development at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. Alwon spoke about the tour: "My students had been studying the Constitution & the Bill of Rights, but it wasn't until we took the tour [that] the document really came alive for them. e information gained on the tour plus the new experiences (i.e. seeing the Constitution for the first time ever) was irreplaceable. I hope that all students are granted enriching opportunities such as this." USCHS guide Steve Livengood with 2014 tour group. S ince 2005, nearly 14,000 Washington, D.C. 8th grade stu- dents from more than 80 public and charter schools have taken the We the People Constitution Tour, and many of them have gone on to participate in the classroom challenge that complements the tour. Students on the tour learn about the first three articles of the Constitution and their home city through a free tour of monumental Washington. e tour strives to make the federal city a part of the lives of D.C.'s underserved students as they learn about American history and government and increase their understanding of the value of citizenship and public service. Following the tour, teachers and students can participate in interdisciplinary classroom activities for the Classroom Chal - lenge; these activities reinforce the tour's lessons, promote criti- cal thinking, and approach civics and history from multiple perspectives. e friendly competition encourages teachers to use the tour and its related resources in lesson planning to extend their students' understanding of the relevance of the Constitution. anks are due to the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest for supporting the Challenge. For the 2014–15 school year, the D.C. Public School system selected the We the People Constitution Program as one of just five approved 8th grade "experiences." is selection is confir - mation that the school system recognizes that the program is a valuable educational supplement. Sponsors of the Constitution Program include the Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation, the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Verizon Foundation, and International Paper, among others.