"We the People” teams from Reno High School and Reed High School placed first in their respective divisions during the national competition in Leesburg, Virginia.
This is the eighth time since 2014 that WCSD sent two teams to the prestigious national civics competition, where students testify as expert witnesses before panels of judges to present and debate their positions on questions surrounding the U.S. Constitution.
Reno High School received the Division Award for Division C and placed 14th overall, while Reed High School received the Division Award for Division D and placed 16th overall.
“It was an awesome experience!” said Richard Clark, a social studies teacher at Reno High School who also coaches the We the People team. “The students got to meet with Reno native Machalagh Carr, who serves as Chief Counsel for Speaker Kevin McCarthy; Sean Newell, the Deputy Attorney General for Cyber Security; and Reno High School Alumni McKenna LeVitt, who is a policy aide for Senator Jacky Rosen. In addition, they competed and saw the sights in and around the D.C. area.”
“It was a wonderful journey of intense competition, amazing sightseeing and meeting new people,” said Mark Towell, who teaches American Government classes at Reed High School and coaches the We the People team. “We had great meetings with Congressman Amodei and senators Cortez Masto and Rosen. We are very grateful to the donors who helped fund the trip for our students."
We the People is a challenging course of study that requires students to acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are essential to becoming an effective citizen.
The class demands teamwork, perseverance, trust and integrity, as each student plays a role in the presentations and must rely on their classmates to do their parts.
In competitions, students practice their skills and compete in mock congressional hearings, then testify before judging panels that include scholars, educators, judges and justices, state lawmakers, attorneys and state and local officials.
During the National Finals, each hearing began with a four-minute opening statement by students and was followed by an eight-minute period of follow-up questioning.
More than 70 judges explored students' depth of knowledge, understanding and their ability to apply constitutional principles. The format provided students with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of constitutional principles while providing the judges with an excellent means of assessing students' knowledge and application to historical and current constitutional issues.
Some questions students discussed as part of this year’s competition were:
- What Are the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System?
- How Did the Framers Create the Constitution?
- How Has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence?
- What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-First Century?
WCSD celebrates a long tradition of achievement and excellence in local, state and national We the People competitions. Last year, Reno High School’s team ranked among the top 12 teams in the nation, and in 2021, teams from both Reno High School and Incline High School ranked among the top 12.
In 2015, Reed High School ranked seventh in the nation during the competition.
This year, Incline High School’s team ranked third in Nevada, as WCSD teams swept the top three spots in the state competition, but did not compete at the national level.
(Washoe County School District)
