HS East Constitution Whizzes Off to National Competition

A group of students are headed to Washington D.C. this weekend to compete in the 24th annual We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals.

The school's We the People team topped nine high schools that attended the New York State finals in Albany last month to earn the right to compete in the nation's capital. 

Nearly 1,200 high school students from all 50 states will test their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights at the competition and the HS East team has done its homework. 

Students serve as expert witnesses testifying on constitutional issues in a simulated congressional hearing. Each class is divided into six groups, corresponding with the units in the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbook.

Students are scored on their opening presentation and on answers to follow-up questions by a panel of judges who grade the students on understanding, constitutional application, reasoning, supporting evidence, responsiveness and participation.

The HS East team has been working in their units researching questions and preparing their responses for the follow-up questions from the panel of judges, which include state Supreme Court justices, public officials, political scientists, historians, educators, attorneys and We the People alumni.

The team has also held two mock competitions judged by Dr. Jeffrey Morris, a professor at Hofstra University and Michelle Pitman, a lawyer in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, according to David Pitman, the students' AP government teacher as well as the advisor for the team.

"Prepare, prepare, prepare and then trust in that and enjoy the experience," Pitman said of his message to his young academic stars.  "The memories you make this weekend will stay with you forever."

With the cost of the trip to D.C. about $1,000 a person, the students hosted a series of fundraisers to help cover some of expenses.

"We were able through a tremendous effort by the students, their families and the school community to reach the goal I had set, which was to raise half the funds," Pitman said. "The parents paid the difference for their kids so every student on the team and in the class will be making the trip."

The team will compete on Saturday and Sunday at a hotel in Arlington, Va. If they make it into the top-10, they will go onto the championship round Monday to be held in Congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill. 

The students will get some time to unwind during the trip and see some of the sights around town.

"We will get to see most of the monuments and memorials in downtown D.C. as well as Mount Vernon, the Arlington Cemetery and the Smithsonian," Pitman said. "It should be a wonderful experience for the kids."