South Tama High School students Natalie Wesley, Shae Slaven and Mahala Doyle display the certificates they were awarded in the Iowa State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution” Project. Slaven was the award winner from over 1,000 entries. -Photo provided

A trio of South Tama High School students in the class of Seth Koch had essays selected as finalists in the Iowa?State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution Contest.” They are Shae Slaven, a junior, senior Mahala Doyle, Natalie Wesley, a junior.

Shae’s essay was selected as the top essay from over 1,000 entries state-wide.

A total of 100 of the finalists were honored at a luncheon held at the West Des Moines Marriott Hotel in West Des Moines in January. The Keynote Speaker was the Honorable Justice David Wiggins 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.

An essay question accompanied the quiz in case of a tie. This year’s essay topic involved a Constitutional question focused on the admissions process in higher education, specifically racial preference in evaluating candidates similar to the on-going United States Supreme Court cases involving the University of Texas.

Prior to the luncheon, the student finalists had the opportunity to hear from and interact with a constitutional expert to discuss the essay topic and recent developments and rulings.

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.