August 24, 2012

Drexel University’s Learning Technologies Group in the School of Education worked in partnership with the National Constitution Center to create the free webcast Constitution Hall Pass: The Presidency, in celebration of the U.S. Constitution’s milestone 225th anniversary. The webcast, the latest edition of the National Constitution Center’s Constitution Hall Pass series, will be available starting Monday, September 10 at constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday. 

This lively and engaging online program provides a free, fun way for students to meet their Constitution Day education requirement. Featuring a special introduction by George Stephanopoulos, ABC News’ chief political correspondent and anchor of "Good Morning America" and "This Week," Constitution Hall Pass: The Presidency explores Article II of the Constitution, which defines the role and responsibilities of our nation’s highest executive power – the President of the United States of America. 

Experts from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, along with members of the Center’s education staff will be available to chat live with students and teachers from September 10 to September 14 and from September 17 to September 21 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. In addition, Channel One’s award-winning website ChannelOne.com will prominently feature Constitution Hall Pass, along with supplementary educational resources.

The Constitution’s historic 225th anniversary takes place as the country prepares to hold one of the most important events established by our founding document – a presidential election. Taking viewers from the steps of the U.S. Capitol to the front lawn of the White House, Constitution Hall Pass: The Presidency traces the history of the presidency from the Revolutionary War to present day. 

Viewers will travel to the picturesque Montpelier estate in Virginia and discover how James Madison, considered by many as the “Father of the Constitution,” introduced an idea for a national executive, who was to be chosen by the popularly elected national legislature. Inside the Center’s iconic Signers’ Hall, featuring 42 life-sized bronze statues of the Founding Fathers, viewers will meet other influential delegates such as James Wilson and discover how the founders selected the Electoral College as the method we use to elect our commander-in-chief.

Constitution Hall Pass: The Presidency also offers plenty of opportunities to brush up on presidential trivia. Viewers will learn which president was the first to travel overseas, the exact requirements for holding our nation’s highest office, why the president addresses the nation each year in a State of the Union Address and how many rooms are in the White House.

This episode marks the seventh time the Center has partnered with Drexel University’s School of Education to produce the Constitution Hall Pass series. Over the last five years, the Center also has partnered with Drexel's School of Education on a series of educational products including a free iPhone app, iPod tours for the Center’s acclaimed exhibitions and educational webinars. Through this partnership, the Center reaches millions of students and teachers nationwide to illuminate constitutional values though the use of learning technologies. The School of Education team that created the Constitution Hall Pass: The Presidency webcast includes Cory Schmitt, director of learning technologies; Kristian Reid, video production manager; Adam Smith, videographer; and Obinna Otti, mobile learning coordinator.

In addition to ChannelOne, distribution of Constitution Hall Pass also has been made possible by the following organizations: American Association for Educators, American Bar Association, American Board of Trial Advocates, American Center for Educators, American Institute for History Education, Annenberg Classroom, Bill of Rights Institute, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, Center for Civic Education, Civic Mission of Schools, Constituting America, Daughters of the American Revolution, Discovery Education, Drexel University, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Gilder Lehrman, the History Channel, iCivics, James Madison’s Montpelier, National Archives, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania Council for Social Studies, Pennsylvania Department of Education and Rock the Vote.

The Presidency webcast is the eighth installment of the Center’s Constitution Hall Pass series. Previous episodes have focused on a variety of historical events and civic holidays, including: Tax Day, Bill of Rights Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Earth Day and Thanksgiving. Each webcast is archived and available at constitutioncenter.org/hallpass. 

Those visiting the National Constitution Center in person on September 17 can participate in the Center’s annual Constitution Day celebration, featuring a wide array of inspiring and educational activities, including a naturalization ceremony, the induction of a new member into the American National Tree and a 225th anniversary party for the Constitution. For a complete calendar of events and a list of educational resources, visit constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday. Admission is FREE on Constitution Day, courtesy of PwC.

About George Stephanopoulos
As ABC’s chief political correspondent, George Stephanopoulos reports on political and policy stories for all ABC News broadcasts and platforms. In his roles anchoring "Good Morning America" and "This Week," Stephanopoulos has conducted interviews with world leaders, musicians, authors and celebrities ranging from President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to George Clooney, Elmo, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Anniston, Steve Martin and astronaut Mark Kelly. Prior to joining ABC News, Stephanopoulos served in the Clinton administration as the senior adviser to the president for policy and strategy. He is the author of All Too Human, a No. 1 New York Times bestseller on President Clinton's first term and the 1992 and 1996 Clinton/Gore campaigns.

About Channel One News
Peabody and Telly Award-winning Channel One News, an Alloy Media + Marketing company, is the leading television news network for teens, reaching nearly six million young people in middle schools and high schools nationwide – broadcast each day to close to one in four of all teenagers in the U.S. The dynamic, daily broadcast and supplementary educational resources inform, educate and inspire teens, connecting them with important current events and the world around them. Channel One News has covered fast-breaking global events from regions such as Haiti, Chile, Mexico, Sierra Leone, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Germany and Qatar. Through its partnership with CBS News Productions, Channel One News draws on the vast resources of CBS News, ensuring worldwide coverage wherever and whenever news breaks – and always from a teen perspective. Channel One News programming has been featured on leading networks and news programs, including CBS, CNN, NBC Nightly News and Today Show, ABC News and Nightline. Visit the Webby Award-winning website ChannelOne.com to learn more.

About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the most powerful vision of freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution. Located on Independence Mall in Historic Philadelphia, the birthplace of American freedom, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires active citizenship through a state-of-the-art museum experience, including hundreds of interactive exhibits, films and rare artifacts; must-see feature exhibitions; the internationally acclaimed, 360-degree theatrical production Freedom Rising; and the iconic Signers' Hall, where visitors can sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers. As America's forum for constitutional dialogue, the Center engages diverse, distinguished leaders of government, public policy, journalism and scholarship in timely public discussions and debates. 

The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, the national hub for constitutional education, which offers cutting-edge civic learning resources both onsite and online. Freedom is calling. Answer it at the National Constitution Center. For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.