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Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Robert R. Cupp judged and spoke at We the People, the Citizen and the Constitution, a civic competition among 150 eighth-grade Van Wert Middle School students Friday, April 25. Libby Cupp, Fourth Congressional District We the People Coordinator and wife of Justice Cupp, also will judge the competition.
Administered in Ohio by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE), We the People is a nationally acclaimed program with the goal of promoting civic understanding and responsibility for elementary, middle and high school students. The competition format is similar to congressional hearings, with students serving as expert witnesses on the subject of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court is one of OCLRE’s sponsors.
“I’m looking forward to learning what Van Wert’s eighth-graders know about the principles contained in one of our country’s most important founding documents,” said Justice Cupp. “I expect they have been well prepared by teacher Bob Priest, who’s serving as the school’s coordinator.”
In addition to training teachers, schools receive We the People book sets for free and they correspond to Ohio’s curriculum and testing. Any classroom can receive the curriculum and text books by contacting Jared Reitz at OCLRE, 1700 Lake Shore Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43204, or by telephone at 1.877.485.3510 or 614.485.3507.
Professional development opportunities are also available for teachers offering college credit or CEU's both in Ohio and across the country. Several studies by Educational Testing Service (ETS) indicate that students who used the curriculum “significantly out performed comparison students” on every topic studied. The program enjoys the active participation of members of Congress, as well as support from professional, business and community organizations across the nation. Advanced Placement and Government teachers can help prepare their students for the AP exams by involving them in the We the People program.
Justice Cupp is serving his first term on the Supreme Court of Ohio. An Allen County native, he was a judge on the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals and a State Senator for seven counties in west-central Ohio, a position he held for 16 years. Before being elected to the legislature, Justice Cupp was a Lima City Prosecutor and assistant director of law as well as an Allen County commissioner. He earned his political science degree from Ohio Northern University in 1973 and his law degree from Ohio Northern’s Pettit College of Law in 1976.