On January 10, 2007 the annual We the People state competition was held.  While snow fell outside, the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia sheltered seven teams and seventy-five volunteers too engrossed in the proceedings to pay much attention to the weather conditions. 

The teams were comprised of high school civics classes trained in the American constitution and its modern-day applications by involved teachers and the We the People…The Citizen and the Constitution textbook.  Each team was divided into six units, following the unit organization of the textbook itself.  Students then presented on their unit to a panel of judges and fielded questions about the implication of their study.  Each of the classes participating had advanced from the district level hearing held earlier in the year all across the state.

Distinguished volunteers took time from busy professional schedules to serve as judges and in other roles for the event.  They honored the students with their expertise, fairness, and challenging questions.  The Honorable Mary Fairhurst treated the students to a friendly and interesting opening speech centered on the supreme court system in Washington state, and the Honorable Deborah Fleck readied the students for their upcoming performances.  At the closing ceremonies, the Honorable Richard McDermott roused volunteers and students alike with his encouraging message on the importance of engaged citizenship.

Finally, before the snowfall became too dangerous, the awards ceremony began.  Honorable mentions went to R.A. Long, River’s Edge, Mt. Rainier, and Pasco high schools.  Second runner-up was Evergreen high school, and first runner-up went to Tahoma high school, which made Gig Harbor high school Washington’s 2007 state champions!

The students from Gig Harbor and their teacher, Ken Brown, will advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C. April 28^th-30^th.  They are studying hard in preparation, as well as fundraising to help cover the costs of the trip.  The We the People…Program is able to cover their airfare and one night’s lodging.  For the other expenses, the team is actively fundraising.

Donations for the team are gratefully accepted.  (Checks can be made out to Civic Education Washington State and are for the state-winning team.  Checks may be mailed to 560 South 158^th Street, Burien, Washington 98148-1205)  Kathy Hand has been organizing this state competition since 1987, and has seen the evolution of the program over the years.  Until this year, Tahoma high school had maintained a tradition of state domination, taking first place for the last thirteen years in a row.  At the national level, the school placed in the top 10 in 2000, and won a unit award in 2003.  Kathy notes that the quality and high level of competition with which the state is blessed owes a great deal to the past and present work by students at Tahoma.  This year, all three award-winning teams were very close in scores, and every team attending possessed a great degree of knowledge and presentation.

            Washington will be cheering Gig Harbor on this April, and competing teachers will surely be inspired to encourage new classes of students to an even more outstanding level of scholarship for the competition next year.