On Friday, Feb. 2, Ms. PJ Babb’s We the People class journeyed to Columbus, Ohio where they placed as a state finalist in a state-wide competition. Twenty nine WCHS students in six units completed in this annual event. Ms. Babb said, “The 2018 team is the 11th class I have had the privilege of teaching and advising.  Not only have my students acquired a broad range of constitutional knowledge, they have become engaged citizens, mastered the value of teamwork, enhanced their public speaking skills, learned to take and defend positions on controversial issues, and gained an immense amount of self ​​​​confidence.”

Since the beginning of the year, the We the People class has been studying and mastering content related to the U.S. Constitution. We the People is an honors government credit that requires students to use information they learned in class to testify issues in a congressional hearing overseen by judges. This year, seven schools from all around Ohio competed to receive the best score from the judges. The school that placed first will move onto finals in Washington, D.C.

Judges that participate in the competition have occupations as lawyers, college professors, state representatives and more. After a topic is proposed, each group has a time limit to declare their opening statement. Following this, the judges can cross examine the students (as long as questions stay within their topic).

The students involved in this class use so much of their time to perfect their presentations. Sophomore Olivia Davis said, “Every second counts when we practice. We must use our time wisely to memorize supreme court cases, laws, amendments and more.” Learned information about the U.S. Constitution is key during this competition.

If you are interested in We the People, make sure to contact Ms. Babb in room 307. We the People counts as an honors government class and is currently held during one period throughout the day. You can begin taking the class your sophomore year, however some would recommend to take American History first to brush up your knowledge of America’s past. Do not forget to congratulate all of the participants!