I was beaming with American pride as I read this:
England’s Oxford University is widely known for producing some of the world’s best debaters, such as British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.But last weekend, the school’s moot court team was defeated by two former home-schoolers from a small Virginia college named after American Revolution patriot and orator Patrick Henry.
Matt du Mee, 22, and Rayel Papke, 21, who attend Patrick Henry College, pulled off a victory against their British competitors in the first moot court tournament between one of the world’s most renowned universities and the 4-year-old Christian college in Purcellville….
The students had to argue the case before Thomas Henry Bingham of Cornhill, the senior law lord of the United Kingdom, whose position is equivalent to that of the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice. Brian Hutton, who serves as a lord of appeal, also judged the event. The men are distinguished alumni of Balliol, one of the most prestigious law schools in England.
Mr. du Mee, of Peoria, Ariz., and Miss Papke, of Queen Creek, Ariz., had a month to prepare their arguments and learn the intricacies of British contract law, a set of judicial fiats about which neither student knew much….
Since its opening, the school has experienced significant academic success and boasts student SAT and ACT scores comparable to the nation’s elite colleges. Many Patrick Henry students are required to work in an apprenticeship or internship, depending on their majors. Seven of the nearly 100 interns who worked at the White House last spring attended Patrick Henry.
Almost all of the students come from home-schooling backgrounds.
A bunch of homeschoolers at a four-year-old college beat some of Britain’s best debaters-in-training. Back in the day, government schools produced students like these. But that was another era. We’re not likely to see anything this good coming out of government schools again, at least not in our lifetimes.
Addendum: It’ll all be over soon.
Check out When Worlds Collide. No hyperlink to my blog, but that’s OK.
Update: Voting for the 2004 Weblog Awards closes at 10:00 p.m. EST, and it looks like Captain Ed’s going to win in the Best Conservative Blog category. He surely deserves it (Congratulations, Ed!). I’d like to thank those who nominated me and voted for me. I’ve been blogging for about 13 months, and it’s an honor to be considered one of the best among the best. If you haven’t voted for me today, you still have a chance. 
