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Mountain View students delve into Constitution

Songs and speeches mark celebration

Robert C. Reed | Hickory Daily Record

Mountain View Elementary School sixth-grader Will Norket controls the PowerPoint presentation during the production of ‘Places of Freedom: Buildings Where Our Constitution Is at Work’ Thursday morning.

DETAILS

The historical characters

George Washington — Evan Kubrick

Alexander Hamilton — Colton White

Benjamin Franklin — Dalton Wagner

James Madison — Tommy Braunsteiner

Sen. Kay Hagan: Samantha Hernandez

Sen. Richard Burr: Khalil Green

Rep. Patrick McHenry: Martin Frank

Rep. Sue Myrick: Miranda Smith

President Barack Obama: Jordan Wigington

Michelle Obama: Janae Robinson

Malia Obama: Destinee Summers

Sasha Obama: Jillyanne Barnes

Chief Justice John Roberts: Nolan Garrett

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Hanna Billington

Justice Sonia Sotomayor: Rosio Aguilera

Justice Clarence Thomas: Andrew Saltz

The narrators

Chris Stinson, Kabre Heck, Emmanuel Lee, Emylin Wright, Emily Greenwood, Mitchell Abbott, Samantha Hernandez, Kayla White, Gannon Fitzgerald, Trent McPherson, Heidi Robinson, Jared Hammer, Kaleigh Mathis, Michael Callahan, Mary Mitchell, Jaymin Howard and Keerut Sodhi.

By Larry Clark | Hickory Daily Record

Published: September 18, 2009

Mountain View - The students talked and sang about four buildings. By the time they finished Thursday morning, there was no doubt that their presentation was not about buildings or even the people in them, but the spirit of liberty that infuses the Constitution.

It was Constitution Day, and sixth-graders, under the direction of music teacher Ada Smith, led Mountain View Elementary School and a couple of hundred guests along a timeline of speeches and songs about the nation's most important document.

Smith wrote the script. She directed the enthusiastic students with aplomb as they painted portraits with their words of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, birthplace of the Constitution in 1787; the Capitol building, where Congress meets; The White House, home and business office of the president; and the Supreme Court building, where nine justices ensure all law is in accordance with the Constitution.

"We are making rules to create a new nation," said George Washington (Evan Kubrick), speaking about the assemblage in Independence Hall.

"We needed rules to help the states work together. We needed an army and a navy to protect all of the states."

In period costume, Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury, and Benjamin Franklin held forth on the making of the Constitution.

"We remembered what it was like when the king of England was in charge, he treated our people badly," Hamilton (Colton White) said. "We believed that the people would be in charge of the government and not the other way around."

"We created a type of government that is called a 'democratic republic,'" Franklin (Dalton Wagner) said. "That means the people create the government, and the people elected leaders to run the government."

From there, James Madison (Tommy Braunsteiner) explained why there are three branches of federal government, and contemporary characters gave insight into the duties of each branch.

Kay Hagan and Richard Burr, North Carolina senators, and Patrick McHenry and Sue Myrick of the U.S. House, taught a brief lesson about Congress and its duty to write laws.

The were portrayed, in order, by Samantha Hernandez, Khalil Green, Martin Frank and Miranda Smith.
President Obama (Jordan Wigington) and his entire family was there.

"My job is to carry out the laws that Congress makes, and to inspire Congress to pass laws that will help our country," the president said.

"We live in a beautiful building called The White House," Malia Obama (Destinee Summers) said. "We live in some of the rooms, and many people work in other rooms."

Chief Justice John Roberts (Nolan Garrett) and his eight fellow justices on the Supreme Court assured students and the audience that the court exists to protect everybody's rights and that no law interferes with those rights.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg (Hannah Billington), Clarence Thomas (Andrew Saltz) and Sonia Sotomayor (Rosio Aguilera) outlined the construction of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

By then, it was clear that the buildings, while important, are incidental to the American spirit embodied in the Constitution.

Many students took turns with the narration, interspersing commentary among the dignitaries' remarks.

"The Constitution is a remarkable document," said Michael Callahan, narrator.

"When it was written, it created a new nation and a new form of government. Nothing like it had ever been written before."

Narrator Keerut Sodhi summed it up: "The Constitution creates a government of the people. Our job is to keep it going."

"We have been studying the Constitution," Smith told the audience. "The songs show we love our country."

So it was fitting that the presentation closed with "God Bless America."

Smith's arrangement showed the students had studied not only the history of the Constitution, but had practiced the songs.

"God Bless America" took a couple of unexpected turns, so visitors had to pay attention to Smith's direction. The students in the chorus and in the audience stayed right with the song.

"Everyone worked hard," Smith said later. "They were so good."

Indeed. They had a lot to say about the Constitution, the government and — most important — the people of the United States of America.

Freedom rang loud and clear in Mountain View on Constitution Day.