Front row, left to right: Kiersten Rule, Megan Welch, Caleb Jones, Jennifer Ayala, Alexa Felix Romero, Morgan Nolet, Jessica Elassal. Middle row, left to right: Shawn Mullins, Abigail Anderson, Micaela Merrill, Jordan Pitts, Erin Steele, Ashlyn Patterson. Top row, left to right: Brandon Lopez, Joshua Larson, David Jorgensen, Collin Danielson, Chase Harris, Steven Anglen.
Mountain View High School’s We the People team won first place in the state competition on Jan. 10, earning a slot at Nationals in April. In only their second year fielding a team, Mountain View has quickly established a tradition of success — last year’s inaugural team also won at State and competed at Nationals, bringing home a trophy for the highest score for any one unit.
We the People is a competitive, senior-level class focused on the Constitution. Students compete against other Valley high schools in mock Congressional hearings based on Constitutional issues. The students present a prepared, four-minute statement, and then respond to follow-up questions from the judges that the students answer by citing Constitutional and historical evidence, current events, local and international comparisons, and case law.
During their preparation and through the tournaments, the students learn in-depth history about how the Constitution was developed, how it is applied, and how government works, including its strengths and weaknesses.
Coach Nancie Lindblom reports, “They leave with a passion for the Constitution and for participating in our civic community. They also gain confidence in their presentation skills and learn to work with a team.”
According to Nancie, Mountain View’s 19 team members “are also athletes, musicians, actors, and academic scholars. They are incredibly impressive students who manage to excel in many areas. It is fabulous to work with them, but scheduling sometimes becomes a challenge.”
Fortunately, the team enjoys strong support from the school, the families of the students, and the community. Coach Sasha Litzenberger adds, “When the home and the school join forces, we empower the students to excel.”
For the students, the workload is high, but senior Megan Welch says that it is worth it. To prepare for competition, she and the other team members have spent their weekends, school holidays, and free time researching the philosophical foundations of the Constitution, the evolution of our government, the development and history of nation states, and current challenges facing our country.
They practice by responding to long-form, free-response questions, drawing on their research and composing their answers on the fly. Megan says, “Although this class demands a lot of time and effort, the knowledge and understanding obtained not only helps me in the class, but as a citizen.”
Mountain View’s team members hope that their hard work will continue to help them at Nationals in Leesburg, Va. near Washington, D.C. in April.