Michigan Lawyers Auxiliary and State Bar of Michigan Contact: Mary Ann Farris, MLA Law Day Chairman Michigan Lawyers Auxiliary 9360 Warnick Frankenmuth, MI 48734 E-mail: fmaunique@aol.com Websites: Michigan Bar Association Activity Summary: The Michigan Lawyers Auxiliary and the Michigan State Bar sponsored the 43rd Annual State Essay Contest for 6th - 8th grade students in the state. The Law Day Committee met once a month to develop the criteria for the contest and plan the luncheon that honored the winning students. A Michigan teacher who had made outstanding contributions to law-related education received the Crystal Apple Award. The students, their teachers and parents had a special guided tour of the State Capitol. The Michigan Supreme Court Justices honored the students with a reception at the Cooley Law School. Activity Narrative: The State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan Lawyers Auxiliary work together during the year to plan state level Law Day activities and to help other counties to plan their own activities. In years past, few people travelled to Lansing to attend meetings. Committee members now usually meet through conference calls to coordinate efforts. Planning for the year begins as soon as the ABA announces its annual Law Day theme. A statewide essay contest was developed using this year’s ABA theme of, “Speak Up for Democracy and Diversity.” The format of the essay was redesigned this year to give practice in creating essays for the annual Michigan Assessment Program standardized tests. The new format was well received by many educators. The challenging assignment for this year’s contest was to answer a public policy “should” question that fit into the theme of “Speak Up for Democracy and Diversity.” These essays were scored based on the student’s ability to clearly state a position on the issue and provide supporting information using an application of core democratic values of American constitutional democracy, prior knowledge of history, civics, geography or economics, and logically related data from researched materials. Five possible “should” questions were provided. Students were also able to create their own “should” questions that fit into the theme. A Supreme Court opinion or other research tip was listed for each of the five questions. All the students, not just the winners, learned a lot about writing, research and critical thinking. Four winners were chosen in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade divisions. Some entries were submitted directly to the state level of the competition. In counties with local competitions, only the top four place winners were forwarded on to the state level. The winners were invited with their parents and teachers to a Law Day Celebration at the state capitol in Lansing. Winners received U.S. Savings Bonds, dictionaries, and certificates from the Governor of Michigan. All of the winners read their essays at a luncheon with just under 150 guests in attendance. Seventh-grade winner Cameron Sanborn read his essay about whether Native Americans should be able to use the hallucinogenic drug peyote in religious ceremonies. He compared the religious use of illegal peyote to the consumption of a small amount of alcohol by minors during the Christian sacrament of communion. He explained the importance of the elaborate peyote ritual to over a quarter of a million Native Americans. He discussed two exceptions that the Supreme Court has made to allowing free exercise of religion without government interference, and the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Cameron concluded that the 1993 Act and our Constitution protect the use of peyote for religious purposes. Following the luncheon, the students were invited for a special tour of the state capitol building. One of the tour guides—a past winner in the Law Day Essay Contest— is now a legislative aide. A private session with five members of the judiciary was held at Cooley Law School following the tour. Students were able to ask many questions and have them answered. Several of the students expressed interest in becoming attorneys. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization