Joplin High students earn top honors in Missouri Constitution contest
JOPLIN, Mo. — A group of Joplin High School students bring home top honors in a state Constitution contest.
These students won first place in the Missouri Show Me the Constitution Contest.The competition is sponsored by the Missouri Bar Association and asks students to take on the role of testifying about constitutional questions in front of a panel of three judges.
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The three topics teams focused on centered around supreme court cases, founding principles of our government and ideas surrounding the judiciary. The goal is to inspire students to be better citizens no matter what career they pursue.
'I'm going into engineering, so at first, like, I didn't really think that law and judiciary really mattered to me, but he did, like, spark in us a desire to know more, and to be more active, like, voters and participants in the law, and this is an excellent way to be a more active participant in the law,' said Josiah Hazlewood, JHS senior.
'Not everybody is going to be an author, not everybody is going to design buildings, not everybody is going to be able to produce movies, but everyone has to be a citizen, and that's why this is really, really important,' said William G. Keczkemethy, JHS Constitution Team Coach.
'Every person should learn about the constitution, and unfortunately studies have shown that the public's knowledge about the constitution, and about the branches of the government has declined, so I'm excited to see that these kids are excelling,' said Shelly Dreyer, Mo. Bar President.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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