Matthew LaClair stood up for religious freedom and separation of church and state in the face of opposition and ridicule from school administrators and from his fellow students. During his junior year in high school, Matthew had a history teacher who promoted creationism and other personal religious beliefs in the classroom. When Matthew confronted the teacher and asked the school officials to address this, he became the target of harassment and even a death threat from fellow students. Despite this opposition, Matthew worked to make sure that the First Amendment is respected and upheld at his high school.

From: Andrew Stanton, Board President 2008-2009

Dear NoVES members,

In the May newsletter the Board indicated that this year's annual Membership meeting would be held at the Retreat in Sharpsburg, Maryland, on Sunday, June 7.

Annual Board retreat. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone).