Thirteen Central Academy Students are Finalists in Iowa State Bar Association Competition

Thirteen Central Academy students have been selected as finalists in The Iowa State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution” Project. They are part of one hundred finalists selected from the more than 1,000 students across the State of Iowa who participated in the “Know Your Constitution” Project.

The Central Academy students (and their home high school) are:

  • Ana Angel (Van Meter)
  • Edel Aron (Roosevelt)
  • Frieda Bequeaith (Roosevelt)
  • Blaise Brown (Roosevelt)
  • Nolan Bursch (Roosevelt)
  • Michael Cummings (Roosevelt)
  • Avery Dempsey (Lincoln)
  • Bree Elscott (East)
  • Kelly Grief (Roosevelt)
  • Cheyanne Perkins (Lincoln)
  • Vaibhar Srikaran (Johnston)
  • Luke Theuma (Roosevelt)
  • Claire Yocum (Roosevelt)

The finalists from Central Academy are students of social studies teacher Dan Swanson.

The finalists will be honored at a luncheon held at the West Des Moines Marriott Hotel in West Des Moines on January 10, 2014.  The luncheon will begin at 12:30 p.m.  This year’s Keynote Speaker is the Honorable Thomas Waterman, Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.

The “Know Your Constitution” Project is designed to enrich students’ understanding and appreciation of the Constitution. The students participating in the project were required to familiarize themselves with Constitution related issues. A quiz was completed by each participating student, along with an essay question.

From the finalists, five students and their teachers will be chosen by a random drawing to attend the all expense paid, Close-Up Foundation’s five day long education work session in Washington, D.C.,  in February 2014.  The work sessions are designed to develop a deeper understanding of government and the political process.

This program is sponsored by The Iowa State Bar Association, with additional funding from the Iowa State Bar Foundation and many of the county Bar Associations across Iowa.