Beckman Students Finalists in Essay Contest

Beckman Catholic High School Students Madison Pfeiler, Elias Rahm, Briseyda Rodriguez, Andrew Schlarmann, Madelyn Simon, Danny Dudzik, Brody Hageman, and Noah Mormann are finalists in The Iowa State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution” Project. 106 finalists were selected from the more than 600 students across the State of Iowa who participated in the “Know Your Constitution” Project. These finalists will be honored at an Awards Luncheon in Des Moines on January 23, 2026.

From the finalists, five students and their teachers will be chosen randomly to receive scholarship grants and honoraria in recognition of their efforts. The “Know Your Constitution” Project is designed to enrich students’ understanding and appreciation of the Constitution. The students participating in the project were required to familiarize themselves with Constitution-related issues. A quiz was completed by each participating student. An essay question accompanied the quiz. This year’s essay topic involved Constitutional questions concerning the 6th Amendment guarantee of legal counsel. The question is modelled after a recent case before the Iowa State Supreme Court and references the U.S. Supreme Court precedent in Gideon v. Wainwright.

“Best Essay” finalists will be posted to the ISBA website, with an overall winner announced during the Awards program. The Know Your Constitution program is sponsored by The Iowa State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division with funding from the Iowa State Bar Foundation.