The Way of Tenacity strikes in Portland as Lincoln High students prove what is it to be a student athlete. On April 25th Lincoln High won the “Constitution Team” National Championship last night in Washington DC.  This is a prestigious, academically challenging class and extracurricular activity, with at a minimum 6 hours of preparation a week, that the students have now been working for over a year.  54 other teams from 48 states were represented in this event.  Two Lincoln girls, Ellie Kruse and Cassia Schuler, were on the team and both are integral players for the Lincoln High School lacrosse team.  It has not been an easy balance for the girls and has provided them a High School career’s worth of prioritization and communication challenges.  If we are serious about sportsmanship and if we are serious about celebrating the “student” aspect of student-athlete, perhaps we find ways to celebrate successes such as this.

These two girls represent the success of hardworking STUDENT athletes. Congratulations to Ellie and Cassia and all the other hardworking members on the Lincoln high team.

The article below describes the Constitution Team Event.

 

 Lincoln High wins National Constitution Contest — Again

Betsy Hammond | The Oregonian/OregonLive
April 26, 2016 at 6:59 AM

Lincoln High’s Constitution Team claimed first prize in the national “We the People” Constitutional legal competition again this year.

Portland’s Grant High placed third in the nation. 

It marked yet another win for the small state of Oregon, which has repeatedly won big in the competition. The Constitutional competition requires students to know the Constitution, and related case law and history, in and out — and to articulately make their case in front of federal judges, members of Congress and other bigwigs.

No state has won more national titles than Oregon. Teams here are known to spend endless hours under the tutelage of volunteer coaches, most of them lawyers, who school the teens in the nuances of Constitutional law — material that many other scholars don’t encounter until law school.

Lincoln won the Oregon competition this year before taking first in the nation. Grant took second at state and placed third at nationals, behind a team from Denver.

Fifty-four teams from all 50 states competed in this year’s contest. Oregon won a rare “wild card” that allowed the state to have its top two statewide finishers both compete at nationals.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., congratulated the Lincoln and Grant teams in a speech on the House floor Tuesday.

“These teenage scholars, most not old enough to vote or to drive, compete in a contest demonstrating their knowledge of the Constitution and democratic principles, as well as their ability to think on their feet,” Blumenauer said. “At a time when civics education doesn’t appear to be a priority for most of American education, this shows the appetite and the capacity to fill that gap.

“I wish we could have all of them on the floor of this House to elevate the discussion and deliberation, and I think they’d add, frankly, to the decision-making.”

Last year, Grant High’s team won the national title. The year before, Lincoln did.

Students on Lincoln’s team this year were Kattie Abrams, Jamie Bikales, Savannah Bowerfind, Tessa Cannon, Jonathan Cordisco, Mia Dalton, Amelia Diana, Julia Dodson, Johanna Donnelly, Will Duffy, Macey Ferron-Jones, Noah Glassman, Isaac Hoffman, Anya Jesson, Nolan Johnson, Maddy Johnson, Lea Kapur, Piper Kizziar, Ellie Kruse, Kate Lambert, Kaela Lee, Olivia Loibner, Analis Martin, Kiran Morrissey, Kevin Nguyen, Ryan Premi, John Ritchie, Jonah Sacks, Cassia Schuler, Clara Schwab, Eve Selbie, Jay Sharabu, George Wang, Kate Weeks, Stella Wiswall and Rylie Womer.

Lincoln High English and history teacher George Ten Eyck led the team. Attorneys who coached the team included Misha Isaak, Darin Sands, Alison Brody, Christy Splitt, Jeff Edmundson, Rachel Weisshaar, Jonathan Pulvers,Jason TrombleySteve Griffith and Jennifer Hill.

— Betsy Hammond

 

For the full article click HERE