Kent students test skill, poise in Mock Congressional Hearings

BY ROCHELLE ADAMS
For the Kent Reporter

More than 20 seventh-graders from Mill Creek Middle School took a seat in Kent’s City Hall last Friday to make arguments on constitutional rights and amendments.

“These kids know more about the Constitution than, I bet, anyone you would stop on the streets of Kent,” Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke said. “They have a better sense of how we became the country we are today.”

For the fifth year in a row, Cooke served as a judge at Mill Creek’s annual Mock Congressional Hearings along with City Councilmember Jamie Perry and Principal Antonio Morales. During the event, five teams of students presented opening statements on their topics, took stances on controversial issues and defended their arguments.

J.P. Frame introduced the mock hearings into the school’s curriculum when he joined the staff five years ago, said Corey Bartle, Social Studies Department chair at the middle school.

A change added to this year’s competition was the multiple rounds leading up to the event at City Hall, he said. The students competed in three previous rounds at the school, which narrowed the groups down to the top five. Those finalists moved on to compete at Kent City Hall.

“The great thing about this program is that it teaches students critical thinking skills,” Bartle said. “It’s not about memorizing the right answers and retelling it. It’s about being able to sit up and defend a position. And do that with a certain level of comfort and authority, that you have learned this. It’s a great opportunity for students to show off what they’ve learned.”

Corina Lam, one of the seventh-graders who competed in the last round, agreed, but said the whole experience was overwhelming at first.

“I think this would be more toward high school and around those grade levels,” she said. “But I feel that I can handle it … I really enjoyed it a lot because I learned more. I feel more open to social studies.”

Brya Eisen and her team members, Naomi Delean, Dionica Sy, Akram Mann and Leticia Vergara, were the winners of this year’s hearings.

Eisen said she had a great time and hopes this curriculum can become an elective course at the school, which would allow them to compete on a national level.

“I love doing this and all the other schools should do this, too,” she said.

Cooke said she is impressed with the student’s abilities each year. The mayor said she thinks more people should attend the event next year to watch the middle school students compete.

“Next year when this is held, the City Council Chambers should be overflowing,” she said. “We have a nice lobby. They can watch it on the screen out there. This place should be packed because this is showing what our youth today are doing that is so positive and will give people great comfort in knowing about their future in the hands of our kids today.”