Dragons on their way to finals of We the People in Washington, DC

Over 1,200 high students and 56 teachers from throughout the nation will participate in 2019 We the People National Finals. And, over 1,000 parents, grandparents, friends, and neighbors travel to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the accomplishments of the students. Over $1,500,000 will be raised to ensure the success of this year’s National Finals. The 32nd Annual We the People National Finals will be held April 26-29 at the National Conference Center. 

Classes qualify for the National Finals by placing first in their state competition or through wild card availability. 

During the National Finals students participate in simulated congressional hearings. Students testify as constitutional experts before panels of judges acting as congressional committees scoring the groups through a performance-based assessment. Each class is divided into six groups based on the six units of the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution high school textbook. Each hearing begins with a four-minute opening statement by students and is followed by a six minute period of follow-up questioning during which judges probe students’ depth of knowledge, understanding, and their ability to apply constitutional principles. The format provides students an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles while providing the 72 judges with an excellent means of assessing students’ knowledge and application to historical and current constitutional issues.