mmarincic posted on April 08, 2011 07:40
Members of the Advanced Placement Government class will compete at the We the People National Finals in Washington D.C. April 28-May 3, continuing a 10-year tradition.
At the national competition, students will present their knowledge of the Constitution in a mock Congressional hearing before judges who then cross-examine them.
“They (the students) have to be prepared for anything related to their information,” adviser Mark Dickman said. “They might prepare 2000 things to say, but maybe only 20 will be asked about.
“They have to do a lot of application, evaluation and higher-order thinking.”
This marks the 20th time the class qualified for nationals since the competition began 24 years ago.
“We are part of a legacy now that we’ve made it to nationals,” senior Kim Babione said. “I’m proud to be a part of this group.”
Despite this record, the Ohio team has never taken first in the national finals, coming closest in 1991 by earning second place out of 52 teams.
“We would like to win, and I feel like we could with the hard work we’ve invested,” senior Ethan Miller said. “I look forward to competing and testing that hard work.”