The Center for Civic Education announced most of this year’s high school state champs, including those from Illinois and Maryland, for the 30th annual “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” competition. Teams are making plans to be in Washington for the national finals on April 21–24.
From Illinois, the Constitution Team from Maine South High School in Park Ridge will be traveling to Washington for the national finals. Maine South, while perhaps making more headlines with its football team, has won the state championship for We the People every year since 1991, with the exception of 1993. The team participated in a special recognition announcement at the Park Ridge City Council meeting last week.
“The students engaged in hours of work on various constitutional issues, from the background of the Constitution, the philosophy that underscores the document and why it is the way it is, to modern issues like public policy on immigration reform and what our rights should be,” the Pioneer Press quoted coach Andrew Trenkle as saying. And he ought to know: he’s a Maine South alum and a former Constitution Team member. In a wild card spot from Illinois is St. Joseph-Ogden High School from near Champaign.
From Maryland, Boonsboro High School won the state championship. Boonsboro is in Washington County, so maybe that’s an omen of how the team can be expected to do at nationals. This team has been to the national competition three times now in the last five years.
“I’m very excited to go to D.C. this year,” the Herald-Mail quoted Ellie Connelly, a 16-year-old junior who wants to pursue a pre-law degree, as saying. “It’s been a very busy experience, but it’s had a lot of rewards to it.”
Teams deliver a four-minute statement in front of competition judges, who may actually be judges or legislators, on specific questions about the country’s governing doctrine.
“After they deliver their statement, they have to off-the-cuff prepare to answer questions from those judges for six minutes,” the paper quoted Boonsboro’s coach, Ashley Vascik, as saying. “They get judged on a bunch of different things, like their poise, their speech, how well they equally participate in the questioning and also their constitutional knowledge.”
Washington County Public Schools will cover much of the expense for the trip, which includes visits to monuments and museums, but the group will also try to enhance its fundraising with an event on Monday, February 27, at Panera Bread in Hagerstown. From sales between 6 and 9 PM, 10 percent will go toward the school’s trip.

We the People, national finals, April 21–24, Washington, D.C.
State representatives
State | School (*) = wild card |
Teacher |
---|---|---|
Alabama | Vestavia Hills High School | Amy Maddox & Jane Schaefer |
Alaska | West Valley High School | Amy Gallaway |
Arizona | Hamilton High School | Jacob Harvey |
Arkansas | Valley View High School | Jacob Lamberson |
California | Amador Valley High School | Stacey Sklar |
California | Arcadia High School (*) | Megan Leahy |
Colorado | Denver East High School | Mark Thalhofer |
Connecticut | Trumbull High School | Katie Boland |
Connecticut | Staples High School (*) | Suzanne Kammerman |
Delaware | TBD after Feb. 13 | Check here |
District of Columbia | TBD after Feb. 15 | Check here |
Florida | Pine Crest School | Patricia Everett |
Hawaii | Kahuku High & Intermediate School | Michael Lau |
Idaho | Blackfoot High School | Holly Kartchner |
Illinois | Maine South High School | Andrew Trenkle |
Illinois | St Joseph-Ogden High School (*) | Marshall Schacht |
Indiana | Cathedral High School | Jill Baisinger |
Indiana | Plainfield High School (*) | Chris Cavanaugh |
Kansas | Blue Valley Northwest High School | Ken Thomas |
Kansas | Emporia High School (*) | Jamie Dawson |
Kentucky | Highlands High School | Megan Boimann-Hennies |
Louisiana | Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies | Chris Totaro |
Maine | Marshwood High School | Matthew Sanzone |
Maryland | Boonsboro High School | Ashley Vascik |
Massachusetts | Williston Northampton School | Peter Gunn |
Massachusetts | Academy of the Pacific Rim (*) | Laura Honeywood |
Michigan | East Grand Rapids High School | Adam Horos |
Missouri | Westminster Christian Academy | Ken Boesch |
Montana | Laurel High School | Lee Deming |
Nebraska | Lincoln Southeast High School | David Nebel |
Nevada | Reno High School | Richard Clark |
Nevada | Incline High School (*) | Milton Hyams |
New Jersey | Marlboro High School | Craig Uplinger |
New Jersey | East Brunswick High School (*) | Alan Brodman |
New Mexico | Moriarty High School | Amy Page |
New York | New Visions Law & Government | Richard Bader |
New York | Forest Hills High School (*) | Tara Kelly |
North Carolina | TBD after March 8 | Check here |
Ohio | Bellbrook High School | Erin Snowden |
Oregon | Grant High School | Jeremy Reinholt |
Pennsylvania | Elizabethtown Area High School | James Sostack |
Rhode Island | North Smithfield High School | Natalie O’Brien |
South Carolina | River Bluff High School | Linsy Dooley |
South Dakota | Spearfish High School | Patrick Gainey |
Texas | Del Valle High School | Michael Cunningham |
Utah | Sky View High School | Michael Rigby |
Utah | Mountain Crest High School / Ridgeline High School (*) | Julie Major / Sari Sparks |
Virginia | Maggie L Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies | Samuel Ulmschneider |
Virginia | Douglas S Freeman High School (*) | Robert Peck |
Washington | Tahoma Senior High School | Gretchen Wulfing |
West Virginia | Clay County High School | Philip Dobbins |
Wisconsin | Wauwatosa West High School | Chad Mateske |
Wyoming | Sheridan High School | Tyson Emborg |
Wyoming | Cheyenne Central High School (*) | Sara Miller |
Note: The organization listed no team from Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, or Vermont—or a finals date for those states—as of our publication date.