Two Washington State students and a teacher were recently recognized for participating in two nationwide initiatives as part of America’s 250th, next year’s commemoration of the United States semiquincentennial. Madeline Johnson, 17, of Bremerton, a rising senior at Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, won a second-place award in the America’s Field Trip national competition for her artwork of the Statute of Liberty. Cooper Brix, 17, of Woodinville, a rising senior at Woodinville High School, and Kathleen Hartman, of Bothell, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Leota Middle School in Woodinville, recently participated in the Young People’s Continental Congress in Philadelphia in July.
“We are extremely proud of Madeline and Cooper for representing Washington in these America250 endeavors,” said Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, the chairman of the state’s 250 planning committee. “These programs are wonderful opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow to engage with our nation’s history in meaningful and lasting ways. On behalf of the Washington State America 250 Committee, I congratulate Madeline and Cooper and encourage them and all young Washingtonians to continue learning about our country’s history.”
America’s Field Trip is a national contest for students in grades 3-12 to reflect on the question “What Does America Mean to You?” More than 7,000 students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories participated. As one of 75 second-place winners, Madeline will receive a cash prize.
The Young People’s Continental Congress brought student-teacher delegations from 27 states to Philadelphia to explore our nation’s founding and learn how the ideals of the founding era continue to be debated, discussed and refined during the past 250 years.
