Senator’s program aims to link students and the Constitution
Published 7:52 am Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Photo by Brandon Hicks
Jill Salyers, field director for Sen. Bob Corker, visited East Side Elementary School last week and presented a special program on the U.S. Constitution. She quizzed the fifth-grade students on the document as to the words in it, the amendments, and some of the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
“We the People…”
Those words start the document designed to outline the law of the land for America.
In honor of Constitution Week, fifth-grade students at East Side Elementary learned all about the Constitution with classroom lessons last Wednesday and a visit from a field representative from Sen. Bob Corker’s office, along with a 5-foot-tall Constitution model on Thursday afternoon.
“To celebrate the ratification of the Constitution, we spent (Wednesday) talking about it, why we have it, what it means, what the Bill of Rights is,” said fifth-grade teacher April Pearson.
Then on Thursday afternoon, Pearson and Christy Malone’s classes were able to participate in a special assembly with Sen. Corker’s field director Jill Salyers, who discussed not only the Constitution, but other aspects of federal government.
Salyers quizzed the fifth-grade students on different aspects of the Constitution such as what the first words of the document said, how many amendments were added to the Constitution and what were some of the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution.
She also discussed government leaders, including the president, senators and representatives and the different functions of the three branches of government.
Tara DiJulio, Sen. Corker’s communications director, said Corker’s office has sponsored Constitution Week events annually since 2007.
“The purpose of the events is to celebrate and honor the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States,” DiJulio said.
This year marked the 227th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. This year, more than 900 students in 10 Tennessee schools had the chance to take part in the Constitution Week events.
“I hope the students who attended our Constitution Week events across the state developed a healthy interest in our country’s history, values and system of government,” Corker said. “Our country faces a number of challenges in the coming decades, and it’s important that young Americans understand the cherished document that has guided our country since its founding.”
East Side Elementary was one of tEast Tennessee schools participating in the Constitution Week assemblies.
