William Ford: “today I would like to draw attention to a group of students and their teacher from Calloway County High School in…”

“today I would like to draw attention to a group of students and their teacher from Calloway County High School in Murray, KY. The students--George Bowling, Caleb Brown, Michael Haney, Tom Henninger, Justin Manna, LeAnna McCoy, Paige Patterson, Matt Perry, Jaime Pigg, Josh Roberts, Alexia Schempp, Neal Simmons, Derek Smee, and Crystal Roberts--participated in We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution national finals, under the direction of their teacher, William Cowan. Their presence alone at this national forum on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, made all Kentuckians proud. Their performance revealed hours of hard work and dedication to mastering the concepts and principles of our political system and its history. But perhaps even more important, I believe their motivations for taking on this extra school work reveal an intellectual curiosity that will serve them well throughout their lives. I also want to commend their teacher, William Cowan, for recognizing that the job of educating our young people cannot end when the bell goes off, and that some of the most important lessons often occur beyond the classroom walls.”