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The Constitution Day Project is��put on annually by the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law to provide the opportunity for volunteers��acquainted with the law to teach thought-provoking and current constitutional questions to ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ high schoolers. In��its thirteenth year, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Law students visited��high schools across the state to teach students��about their voting rights during this year’s election season.��After discussing suffrage in the Constitution generally, volunteers had discussions with high school students about restrictive voter identification laws, soliciting opinions and thoughts from these young minds and seeing what ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ’s future voters had to say about the topic.

“We are excited to bring timely and engaging topics to classrooms across the Front Range," said Christina Stanton, Associate Clinical Professor who��runs the Constitution Day program.��"Constitution Day recognizes the 1787 signing of the Constitution and it is energizing to bring these lessons to local high schools to discuss how this ‘old’ document impacts their lives today. We know our law students teach excellent lessons, but we are also hopeful that their passion for the law will inspire the next generation of legal minds here in our state.”

Adam Rennie '26 taught three different classes and shared that his students were “highly engaged” in the discussion. He even had the opportunity to teach a two-and-a-half-hour class with students ranging from freshmen to seniors.��Rennie��added: “Not only was I able to go off script, the extra time allowed me to make things personal, and that was a great class because of how deep we could go on certain things.”����

Darrell Billington, a teacher at Fairview High School,��commented that it was a “timely discussion to chat about voting rights” and that it was “wonderful to have other voices chat with [the] students” about the importance of “fair elections” in our democracy."��

Educating future voters about their voting rights��is paramount. In addition,��part of the Constitution Day Project is��to foster an ongoing conversation between current high school students and the legal community. Tristan Frakes '27��taught a freshman class and��spoke about his valuable experience teaching a younger generation:��

“There were a couple kids who were very willing to contribute and share what they knew, but I tried to call on kids outside that group to get them to engage. Most of the questions presented to the class were pretty subjective and once I validated the opinions of the quieter kids, they definitely opened up a bit, which was cool to see. Freshmen are at a very funny age–most of them definitely needed a lot of coaxing… but there was this one kid who was clearly pretty bright and knew it. I didn’t call on him in the open class discussions because I wanted to get the more hesitant kids to share their thoughts, but when we did break-out groups, I got to interact with him a bit. He was clearly excited about the subject and seemed to have interest in going to law school himself. It felt good to get to talk to a kid who has ambitions to be where I am now.”��

This impression that law school students leave on high schoolers is a significant reason the Constitution Day Project continues to be so popular every year. Daniel Marquina '27 remarked that this was a great way for first years��like himself to give back to the community with their busy schedule, and that he even had a student reach out afterwards “expressing interest in my career path.”��

Getting students excited about civic engagement, either in law school or at the ballot box, was a��common theme this year. Kathy Zaleski, a teacher at Northglen High School,��said her volunteer, who had visited her classroom on past Constitution Days, “had great energy, was knowledgeable, and as usual, had a great time with the students.”��Similarly, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Attorney General, Phil Weiser, who also participated in this year’s lesson, took time at Cherry Creek High School to speak to students about his job and the legal profession today.��

This year, Constitution Day continued its tradition of outreach across the state and hosted two lectures as well. At Fort Lewis College,��Christina Stanton delivered a lecture entitled “The Power of the Indigenous Vote: Legal History and Modern Advocacy” as part of the college’s political engagement project. And, along the western slope, Sarah Matsumoto, Clinical Associate Professor, spoke on “After��Chevron: the regulatory landscape for public lands and natural resources” to students and community of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Mesa University. The Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship supported this talk. Connecting with schools across the state allows the Constitution Day project to meet the needs of partners outside the Boulder-metro area and to celebrate the signing of the Constitution by facilitating conversations most relevant to those areas of the state.

The Byron R. White Center is thankful to all its volunteers who took the time to visit classes and the teachers who were gracious to host them. We are excited to continue the tradition next year!��

If you are interested in participating in Constitution Day 2025, either as a legal volunteer or high school host, please fill out the form