It’s a Saturday morning, and thirty high school students are gathered in a Sky View classroom. Half of them are sprawled across desks, their noses buried in books. The other half are animatedly discussing free speech, federalism, healthcare, and a variety of other government related issues. Any outsider stumbling upon such a scene would scratch their head and ask, “What kind of teenagers are these?” Meet Sky View’s 2010 “We the People” team.

What exactly is “We the People”? You might be wondering. According to Mike Rigby, the “We the People” advisor, it is “one of the best programs in the school.” Created in 1987 by the Center for Civic Education, the program is designed to educate high school students on the workings of the Constitution and the history surrounding it through a competitive atmosphere.

Each student that enrolls in AP Government at Sky View during their senior year also enrolls in the “We the People” program. The class, or team, is split into six units that study: Philosophical/Historical Foundations of American Politics, Creation of the Constitution, Furtherance of Ideals Found in the Declaration of Independence, Constitutional Shaping of American Institutes/Practices, the Bill of Rights, and Challenges Facing the Constitution in the 21st Century. Each topic is divided into three subtopics; for example, this year Unit 5, which studies the Bill of Rights, must study the First Amendment, Free Exercise/Establishment, and Trial by Jury. Not only do they study their topics, they write an academic essay for each, addressing questions listed below the subtopic.

Competition is where the real fun starts. Students must recite whichever essay a panel of judges chooses in four minutes. After the four minutes are over, there is a six minute question and answer period where students must demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles, and, as the Center’s website states, “evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.” Competition is when the team shows their audience what they have learned.

The benefits almost outweigh the thrill in competing. The “We the People” home site further states that, "Several studies by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Professor Richard Brody, Stanford University, indicate that students who used the curriculum “significantly outperformed comparison students” on every topic studied. A recent study, conducted by the independent firm RMC Research Corporation, found that students using the curriculum scored significantly higher on a comprehensive test of political knowledge when compared to their peers in comparison classes as well as university students attending political science courses." The program brings together the best and the brightest and throws them into a situation which requires hours of study, diligence, motivation, and hard work. Getting the “A” in this class isn’t easy, but earning it prepares students for the rigors of college in a way that few organizations can.

Sky View’s team competed at the District level on January 14th and came out in the top two along with Mountain Crest. They will go on to compete for the title of Best in State on February 8th.