Green River students competing in the national We the People competition took second in the Midwest Regional category and 30th in the nation.
At the end of April, Green River High School students Alex Davis, Mary Harris, Savrina Karimi, Sam Bayles, Atlin Johnson, Liam Pickering, Alondra Hamilton, Dallin Hoyt, Kelci Revelli, Karlee Cutler, Jesse Lauze and Levi Hren went to Washington D.C., with teachers Erin Freeman and Leah Hoblit.
All of these students are part of a “We the People” team.
“One is able to be on the ‘We the People’ team by simply signing up for AP government at the high school,” Freeman said.
During the state’s competition, the team fell short of making it to nationals. However they were selected to be the wild card team to attend.
While in Washington D.C., the team spent two days competing. Students were prepared with all new material to show their knowledge on government and the Constitution. Students had to prepare all new opening statements with new questions. They also had to prepare for six minutes of follow up questions during the question and answer portion of the competition.
“Students really have to be prepared for any and every questions imaginable. The National Competition was much more high stakes, as they had Constitutional Scholars, Supreme Court Clerks, the Attorney for the Air Force, former ‘We the People’ alumni, and other high-ranking officials as their judges,” Freeman said. “The judges were tough, but fair, and really dived into student knowledge.”
At the end of the competition, Green River came in 30th overall. Freeman said that may seem small when 52 were competing, but most of those in attendance had 30 to 40 students, while GRHS only had 12. Also, the students were proud to beat Sheridan High School, which was a the team that bumped them out of a spot to attend nationals. It was a bit of redemption for them coming in eight spots in front on Sheridan.
As for the Midwest Region, Montana took first in the region by placing 29 in the nation.
“All in all, GRHS’s students performed flawlessly,” Freeman said. “I am humbled and proud of how they did.”
When they weren’t competing, the students took to the streets for some sight-seeing adventures. Some of the places they visited were American History Museum, Natural History Museum, Supreme Court Building, Library of Congress, Capitol Building, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, MLK Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, National Archive, Air and Space Museum Dulles, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
“Students throughly enjoyed their trip,” Freeman said. “It really was a hands-on learning experience. I witnessed students really blossom in their experience. I believe this was the culmination to their high school careers. It was also the apex of my career thus far.”
Freeman said this was a terrific learning experience for the students about the intricacies of the government and the nation’s capitol.
“They were able to take what they had been learning the entire year and apply it,” she said. “They learned the importance of being civically engaged, and their duty as they all enter the real world.”
“The most extraordinary thing about ‘We the People,’ is it creates intrinsic motivation for students to become involved their community,” Freeman said. “Whether their interests are math, science, or even law, it helps them see the value of civic engagement and participation. This programs breeds our next generation of well-education, well-rounded leaders.”
The trip was paid for by the students who managed to raise more than $30,000 in under two months through business sponsorships, a community music event, silent auction, raffles, movie night. The team also volunteered to help local groups in exchange for donations. Whatever money was left over will go toward keeping the program going. Freeman said the students wanted to thank the community for all of its support and generous donations.
“I just want to express my gratitude to the community for their help, support, and excitement for this program,” she said.
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