Pennsylvania Bar Association President Returns to Alma Mater, Methacton High School, on Constitution Day, Sept. 17

HARRISBURG (Sept. 13, 2018) — Students at Methacton High School in Fairview Village will mark Constitution Day on Sept. 17 with special projects and programs led by lawyer Charles Eppolito III, a 1988 graduate of the high school.

Eppolito is the current president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), the state’s largest organized bar association.

“Part of the great voluntary work of the lawyer members of the PBA is to go into classrooms to educate students about their constitutional rights and their civic responsibilities,” said Eppolito. “It’s my honor to return to my alma mater on Constitution Day and lead a day of learning. I could not have imagined this opportunity when I walked the Methacton hallways as a student 30 years ago.”

Among the planned activities will be a late morning classroom presentation and an afternoon auditorium presentation of “The Constitution is Everywhere,” an interactive discussion that challenges students and the educators and lawyers working with them to explore how the Constitution, a document signed by its drafters 231 years ago on Sept., 17, 1787, still impacts every aspect of our daily lives. The students will first be asked about the things they do each day and the constitutional connections to each activity will be highlighted. The students will then be challenged to come up with any activity that they can think of that is not connected in some way to the Constitution. David K. Trevaskis, the PBA’s pro bono coordinator, will join Methacton social studies teacher Anthony Maida and Eppolito in the presentation.

Earlier in the day, a number of students will be videotaped answering questions about their constitutional rights. Their edited responses will be incorporated into a series of videos focusing on constitutional rights and responsibilities. Eppolito has made civic education a focus of his year as PBA president and the videos are being produced under his direction. Eppolito’s Sept. 17 presentation will include a showing of the trailer promoting the upcoming video project: https://youtu.be/LzlfoRdnkCc.

“When completed, the videos and related lesson plans will be available for teachers to incorporate into their civics curriculum,” said Eppolito. “I’m really excited that some current students from Methacton will be included in this educational effort.”

Information about other PBA educational programs for students such as Celebrate the Constitution, the Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition and Project Peace, as well as lesson plans for teachers, can be found at http://www.pabar.org/site/For-the-Public/Education-for-Students.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.