On Saturday, January 8th, 2011, a few days after the US Constitution was first read on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives, students from schools in Washington State gathered in the state capitol to determine the state champion for "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution." Participating schools were Central Kitsap from Silverdale, Heritage and Evergreen from Vancouver area, Mt. Rainier from Des Moines, Peninsula from Gig Harbor, Tahoma from Covington, and River’s Edge from Tri Cities.
The students had participated in an extensive training program at the schools to enhance the students’ understanding of the rights and duties of Americans under their Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Panels from each school were asked questions requiring interpretation of our national constitution and constitutional history. They presented their responses and answered questions before a panel of judges, made up of lawyers, judges, legislators, educators and other professions. The questions did not necessarily have clear cut answers, but involved debate, references to specific clauses of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Supreme Court decisions and the history underlying them.
Each school appeared before 12 panels in the legislative hearing rooms where they were graded on their presentation. The award ceremony was held in the Senate chambers where students actually were allowed to sit on the floor of the state senate in senators’ chairs.
The winner proceeds to the national contest in Washington DC. Schools from the state of Washington have regularly done very well but have yet to become the national winner.
The program is conducted in Washington State by Civic Education Washington State, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. www.civiced-wa.org. It utilizes school teachers and is funded though limited federal and state funding, and charitable donations and grants. Unlike teachers who are involved in sporting events, the involved teachers receive no compensation for their time.
The winning school which will represent Washington state in the national contest is Tahoma High school. Evergreen placed second and Peninsula was third.