At the end of the school year, Mr. Chris Vicknair's AP US History class participated in a 'Classroom Exchange' through the National Constitution Center.  This program brings together classrooms across the country to dialogue about the U.S. Constitution. Brother Martin students video-conferenced with students at Bergenfield High School in New Jersey to discuss "When does the 1st Amendment allow the government to limit speech?"  Topics included free speech on college campuses, instances of hate speech, and national security.

Mr. Vicknair said, "My intent was to get the students to discuss an important concept with others outside their peer groups and families while applying the historical development of civil liberties we talked about all year.  I thought this program was a great opportunity to prepare them for AP US Government next year and to practice good citizenship."

Reflections from our Crusaders: 

Emmanuel Levy '20 reflected, "It was an interesting experience and nothing like I’ve ever been a part of. I think this is an important aspect of using technology in a less conventional method as a means to learn from others and share ideas with students from across the country in order to discuss topics that are controversial in our society."

Jackson Quintana '20 noted, "It was really cool being able to discuss the Constitution with a random class from a different state and interact with people who had just learned about the same things we had."

Nathan Levandoske '20 concluded, "The classroom exchange discussion provided a great experience to learn about the opinions of others from around the country. The civil discourse between our classroom and their's allowed all of us to learn a little more about the first amendment and its interpretations."