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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA group of teens from Munster High School finished 10th from a field of 52 in the national finals of We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution.
Andrew Homan, director of civic education for the Indiana Bar Foundation, commented on the team’s success.
“This weekend Munster High School continued Indiana’s tradition of placing in the top ten at the We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution national finals. With their success, Indiana continues to have one of the most competitive We the People programs in the country,” he said.
“The Indiana Bar Foundation is extremely proud of Munster’s performance. They are a perfect example of how the We the People program is creating the next generation of civic leaders,” Homan said.
Indiana has placed in the top 10 for the past five years. This year marked Munster’s fifth trip to nationals.
Before traveling to the finals, Munster teacher Michael Gordon explained why the team has been so successful.
“We have a school administration that is unbelievably supportive,” Gordon said. “We have a community that was willing to give time, energy, resources, finances – including a host of people who come into our Monday evening practices.”
Munster Principal Steven L. Tripenfeldas said he was proud of the students and their accomplishments. “These particular students and their coaches have devoted countless hours to preparing for this competition, and they have demonstrated a true love of the democratic process,” he said. “I would also like to thank all of the volunteers who gave of their time to work with our students to help prepare them for the We the People competition.”
During the competition in Washington, D.C., students demonstrated their knowledge of the Constitution before simulated congressional committees made up of state Supreme Court judges, constitutional scholars, lawyers, public officials, and We the People alumni. The first rounds of the hearings were on April 30 and May 1. On May 2, the top 10 schools competed in congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill.
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