The votes have been tallied and it’s official, for the second consecutive year West Side has the Best Preschool according to the Toledo Area Parent News’ Family Favorites 2008. West Side was named the winner in the publication after hundreds of local parents sent in their votes. West Side was also recognized for its outstanding summer camp program being named to the number two spot for Toledo Area Parent News' Family Favorites 2008 Best Summer Camp.

West Side Montessori Teams Go Global; Travel to Tennessee for Destination Imagination Finals

Twenty West Side Montessori Center students will join thousands of students from around the world to participate in the Destination Imagination (DI) Global Finals 2009. The three West Side Montessori Center DI teams that will be traveling to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville the week of May 20^th, qualified for the global competition following their first place rankings at the state level competition held in Dublin, OH, on Saturday, April 25.West Side

Montessori Center’s DI teams are DI Doodz: Raaghov Agnihotri, Claire Kohler, Janaki Patel, Antonio Peron, Jami Stout, Libby Stupica, and team manager Margaret Kohler; the ReM!x: Nikita Ajmera, Kristen Darah, Angela Jacob, Beth Ann Less, Priyanka Pitroda, Rachel Reeves, Allison Sheehan, and team manager Elaine Sheehan; and That Team: Isabel Abu-Absi, Grace Beham, James Blanchard, Drew Gannon, Lilly Kaplan, Daniel Miller, Laramie Reynolds, and team manager Karen Callinan.

Destination Imagination is a community-based, school-friendly program that builds participants' creativity, problem solving, and teamwork in enjoyable and meaningful ways. West Side Montessori students have been participating in Destination Imagination for years. This is the third time that the school has been represented at the global finals.

Two Middle Schoolers Place In Law Day Essay Contest

Congratulations to middle school students Madeline Kaplan and Kristen Darah for their placement in the Caty Armstrong Memorial Law Day Essay Contest. Madeline placed first in Division III (7th/8th grade) and Kristen placed 2nd.

Students had to compose an essay of 500 words or less examining the following:  What is the role of law in fulfilling the promises of the Declaration of Independence?  What role do lawyers play in fulfilling those promises?  Identify a famous lawyer who has stood up for the rights of others in order to fulfill those same promises, and explain how he/she has done so.

The girls were honored at a luncheon sponsored by The Toledo Bar Association on April 20 at the Park Inn Hotel.  In addition, first prize includes a $300 U.S. Savings Bond and 2nd prize includes a $200 U.S. Savings Bond. 

Read the girls' submissions below.

Written by Kristen Darah

America. The country of freedom, hope, strength. Full of opportunity, possibilities, change.   Most importantly of all, America promises equality. “All men are created equal”, a proclamation that the Declaration of Independence states. But how is it that all people are given a right to freedom? How do they manage to all be treated equally? 

The law plays an important role in fulfilling the promises of the Declaration of Independence for equality. Without law there would be violence, discrimination, and injustice. With no law, people would not be able to maintain their right to equality; but fortunately the Constitution has many laws that help to fulfill the Declaration of Independence’s promise of equality. For example, the First Amendment gives people the freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and expression.

But what if your right to freedom or equality is questioned or challenged? Lawyers help us carry out the law by fighting for what they think is right and fair. They give you a chance to not only voice your viewpoint on a case, but to fight to protect your rights. Arguing in court, they stand up for the rights of others in order to fulfill the promises of not only our law, but of the Declaration of Independence.One admirable lawyer who stood up for the rights of others in order to fulfill promises made by the Declaration of Independence is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is an advocate for women’s rights, and therefore worked towards equality for all people, no matter what gender. Ruth believes that "women's rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all people should enjoy” (The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg).

Ginsburg fought six major cases, and won five of them (Ruth Bader). One of her major cases was Reed v. Reed. A citizen of Idaho, Sally Reed claimed that her constitutional rights were violated by Idaho’s law favoring the appointment of a man over a similarly positioned woman to act as the owner of an estate (Reed v. Reed). Ginsburg, who was defending Sally, won the case. The court’s decision was that Idaho’s law was based only on discrimination and therefore was violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Reed v. Reed). By winning this milestone case, along with others, Ruth helped form the main structural idea of women’s rights (Ruth Bader), thus helping to fulfill others’ rights to equality.

America, full of freedom, equality, hope. A nation “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” With the help of our nation’s law and lawyers, America is able to give each of its citizens the right to equality and freedom.

Written by Madeline Kaplan

In the history of the U.S., one of the most hotly contested phrases in our founding documents is “all men are created equal” from the Declaration of Independence. Interpretations of these words have been varied. Who is included in “all men?”  Where does this equality begin and end? Those five words have arguably created the most stirring legal debate in American history. There have been countless court cases regarding them, and hundreds of lawyers have dedicated their lives to their meaning.

One such lawyer was Charles Hamilton Houston. In the words of Thurgood Marshall, “[T]hat man was the engineer of all of it... if you do it legally, Charlie Houston made it possible...” (Charles Hamilton Houston). After being discriminated against in the military during World War I, Houston dedicated his life to the civil rights movement. He entered Harvard Law School in 1919 and became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review.  As dean, he built up the Howard University Law School. He became involved with the NAACP and became their Litigation Director. Houston was involved in nearly every civil rights case in the Supreme Court from 1930 to his death in 1950. He argued several cases before the Supreme Court himself, and advised the attorneys of countless others. Houston was even referred to as “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow” (NAACP - Charles Hamilton Houston).

Perhaps his most brilliant legal plan came when the NAACP was readying for a lawsuit against segregation in public schools. It was Houston’s idea to use the inequality of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court decision in 1896 that ruled that “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional. He reasoned that the only way to defeat segregationists was to prove that black and white schools were not equal. Although Houston did not live long enough to see the Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall, whom Houston mentored for years, argued the case successfully.

Following his death in 1950, Houston’s name faded largely into obscurity. However, his contributions to civil rights are immeasurable. Without his legal genius and commitment to his cause the progress made towards equal rights would not have been so great. One of the most innovative and important components of our democracy is our constitutional flexibility. American laws are not stringent; they are subject to change if the Supreme Court deems it necessary. Houston understood that the required changes to our society could not be achieved without using this flexibility to his advantage, ultimately changing the interpretation of the Constitution. Houston used his intellect, legal prowess, and the law to ensure that “all men are created equal,” and should be treated as such under the judicial system.