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Plainfield High School and Fishers Junior High School were the big winners last week in the Indiana Bar Foundation’s annual “We the People” competition.
Hundreds of students from across the state gathered at the Crowne Plaza hotel at Union Station in Indianapolis for the contest, which tested their knowledge of civics by having them participate in simulated congressional hearings and defend their positions on historical and contemporary issues.
In the high school category, Plainfield placed first among the 13 schools who qualified to participate in the state-level competition. Fishers High School finished second, and Hamilton Southeastern High School finished third.
Among the 13 middle schools competing, Fishers Junior High took first place. Castle South Middle School from Newburgh in southwestern Indiana finished second, and Fall Creek Junior High from Fishers placed third.
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush spoke to the high school competitors, emphasizing how important it is for citizens to know about government and the Constitution.
She said by being involved with We the People, the students were more educated than most Americans on government.
“I’m looking at the future leaders in this room, and I’m really proud of all of you,” Rush said.
“When you put the Constitution and We the People together,” she added, “it’s just magic, and what you’ve learned about this document is going to bode well for you, the rest of your life,”
Rush told the story of one of the first constitutional cases in the Hoosier state.
When Indiana became a state in 1816, it outlawed slavery. But not every slave was free.
A young Black girl who could read and write saw the Indiana constitution and questioned why she wasn’t free. She got a pro bono volunteer attorney to represent her and challenged it.
“She lost to the trial court, and came up to the Indiana Supreme Court, and they said, ‘words mean something. Words matter’,” Rush said, allowing the girl to win her freedom.
She used the case to emphasize the importance of the role attorneys play, noting that Indiana has a shortage.
Then she asked students to raise their hands if they were interested in becoming lawyers. A few hands shot up.
“I’m standing up here till I get a couple more,” Rush joked.
Charles Dunlap, Indiana Bar Foundation president and CEO, congratulated the participating students and thanked the teachers, administrators, parents, school communities, and volunteer judges who make the We the People program possible.
“Thanks to their dedication and the generosity of our supporters, the Foundation proudly brings the transformative We the People program to more than 10,000 Indiana students each year,” he said.
He also applauded the students for how they conducted themselves.
“This is a potentially intimidating group of people that you talked to today, and you did it with poise and with dedication and honor, with your questions that you are responding to and your depth of knowledge,” Dunlap said.
Fishers Junior High School, Plainfield High School and Fishers High School will go on to represent the Hoosier state in the national We the People competitions this spring.
The High School We the People National Finals will take place April 9-11 outside of Washington, D.C. The Middle School We the People National Invitational will take place via Zoom April 25-26.
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