Gregorio Sablan: “Once again the students of Mount Carmel School have won the honor to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in the…”

“Once again the students of Mount Carmel School have won the honor to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in the annual We the People competition. Mount Carmel has a tradition of excellence in speech and debate and this year's group of orators continued that tradition with distinction. The competition is directed by the Center for Civic Education and funded by Congress through the Education for Democracy Act. This is a program we should continue to support. I watched the Mount Carmel students testify in a simulated congressional hearing on constitutional issues they had studied in the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbook. They are nothing short of impressive in their knowledge and their understanding of the historical basis and the philosophical concepts underlying the document that established our national government. Let me acknowledge each student by name: Matthew Aquino Geza Baka III Maria Balajadia Ryanne Camacho Ericka Celestino John Edward Elenzano Ji Yeon Kim Min Seong Kim Savana Manglona Ivan Matala Nicoli Matala Anthony Sablan Nicolas Sablan Troy Villafuerte Brittany Yamagata Calvin Yang Joseph Yoon.”