Maine South High School Named We the People State Champions, Will Represent Illinois at National Finals in Civics Competition
The Constitutional Democracy Project is pleased to announce that Maine South High School will represent Illinois as the state champion in the We the People national competition.
The high school teams competed virtually in simulated congressional hearings on January 15 as part of the We the People national program, which promotes civic competence and responsibility among youth. Students testify as constitutional experts in front of a panel of judges acting as congressional committees. The judges ask the students questions to assess their knowledge of constitutional principles and their ability to apply these principles to historical and current issues.
The Maine South team includes students Drew Burgis, Nicole Causevic, Matthew Coyle, Susie Curry, Molly Devlin, Brecken Enright, Morgan Fanning, Gaby Gawedzki, Jacki Honan, Kenny Kim, Jack Kosciarz, Cooper Kotowski, Justin Kim, Amalia Laskaris, Vasilios Loutrianakis, Sydney Lucas, Niki Manolis, Matthew Marogil, Kristen Meyer, Lukas Olaffson, Julia Pop, Molly Russell, Maggie Ryan, Catherine Sernel, Wilson Sitkiewicz, Anna Wapner, and Tommy Weber. The team is led by teachers Andrew Trenkle and Kevin Hansen.
The questions students tackled in the state competition hearings this year include: "What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-First Century?" "How has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence?" "What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect?" "How Have the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices?" "What Are the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System?" and "How Did the Framers Create the Constitution?"
The We the People: The Citizen and Constitution National Finals, which is normally held in Washington, D.C., will be held virtually this year April 24-26, 2021. The competition will include nearly 1,000 students from 48 classes.
Along with Maine South, St. Joseph-Ogden High School and Chicago Hope Academy, will be representing Illinois as the runner-up, wild card team and Justice Warren E. Burger class, respectively.
"I am so proud that for the first time ever Illinois will have three We the People schools competing at the national finals," says Dee Runaas, project director for the CDP. "Our democracy is fragile, and it is critical that our next generation of leaders has a solid understanding of the Constitution. Listening to high school students demonstrate their knowledge of constitutional principles and current issues - especially in the wake of the January 6 overtaking of the U.S. Capitol - gives me hope for the future of our democracy."
The We the People program is a project of the Center for Civic Education and is administered in Illinois by the Constitutional Democracy Project at Chicago-Kent College of Law. The CDP offers high-quality, hands-on civics education programs and teaching materials focused on the Constitution, law, and policy for middle school and high school students and their teachers.