Stacey Osorio/special to the Town Crier St. Nicholas fifth-graders pose with Judge Manoukian after their We the People mock trial.

“It is important to put the common good above your self-interests when necessary, because the common good benefits the community as a whole, rather than just one person,” said Michael Halamek to a packed gallery of CEOs, lawyers and community advocates.

The surprising thing about his observation is that Michael is not a 40-year-old professional politician but an 11-year-old participating in a mock congressional hearing.

On May 9, fifth-grade students at St. Nicholas school participated in their first mock congressional hearing, which will become an annual event. The students were placed in groups of five or six and argued or discussed such topics as the intentions of the framers of the Constitution, how the Constitution was written, how the U.S. government is set up, freedom of expression and the responsibilities of citizens. The groups had 3-1/2 weeks to prepare.

The hearing was the conclusion of four intense months of constitutional study using We the People, a federally funded program that introduces middle-school students to the importance of being an active citizen and to the fundamentals of the U.S. government.

“The program is cross-curricular in nature,” said fifth-grade teacher Stacey Osorio, “which helps bring the Constitution to life for the students as they explore aspects of our government through social studies, language arts and even mathematics.”

Osorio learned about the program last year when St. Nicholas Principal Matt Komar nominated her to attend an intensive institute on the program at the University of San Diego. Osorio was accepted and spent 10 days in San Diego under the instruction of scholars from all over the nation. She is the only teacher from the San Jose Diocese to participate in the training.

During the mock hearing in early May, members of the fifth-grade class presented their viewpoints to a packed classroom of parents, teachers, friends and a panel of three local professionals who tested the students’ knowledge with probing questions.

Panel members were Santa Clara County Superior Judge Socrates P. Manoukian, attorney Marian (Mitzi) Konevich and Jean Mundell, former eighth-grade teacher and We the People district coordinator.

“This exercise gives me hope for the future,” said Konevich, who said she was impressed with the level of understanding the students demonstrated.

“Projects like this are extremely important in teaching young people how to participate in democracy and the voting process,” Manoukian said. “I am hearing far too many young adults brag about why they do not vote.”

Osorio’s expectations for the program and her students’ growth in civic understanding were high. “The kids really got into the activities and achieved a higher level of critical thinking than they had before,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

For more information on the We the People program or St. Nicholas, e-mail Stacey Osorio at staceyosorio@stnicholasLAH.com.