On Wednesday December 6, 2023, 17 Carolina Forest students traveled to River Bluff High School to compete in the We the People State Competition. The students were a part of JJ Iagulli’s AP Government Class and Toni Mcdowell’s AP Microeconomic class. Preparing for the competition took six weeks of preparation and practice for the big day of presenting in front of the SC Bar Association.
We the People is a congressional hearing seminar where students compete to showcase their take on issues related to the United States Constitution. The class was divided into six units with three constitutional issues related to that unit’s time period. The unit’s topics ranged from the influences to the Protestant Reformation to book bans in schools. Each unit prepared three speeches to present to the judges presenting their point of view on the issue at hand.
Andrew Riley, a senior who attended the We the People trip commented, “Competing in We the People was enjoyable for me because it blended researching historical interpretations of the Constitution with personal interpretations that were both viable in competition. However, what really made it special was working with my group day in and day out – preparing and competing was a lot more fun than it was stressful because of them.”
On the first day of the trip, the classes had the opportunity to explore the Federal Courthouse in Columbia. Students listened to a presentation on how our federal court system is run and how it influences day to day life. While at the courthouse, students also got to sit in on a high profile case and see the judicial system in action. This case had many interesting elements as its outcome relies heavily on an upcoming decision from the Fourth District Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.
On day two of the field trip, the six units were presented by students at the state competition to argue constitutional issues. Three awards were received this day for We the People. Our school came in as First Runner State Champions. The second award was Best Unit Two received by Andrew Riley, Kaylynn Fish and Sydney Sparks. The Most Effective Unit Award from Carolina Forest High School was received by Beyza Donmezer, Helina Brown, Jordan Stalher and Preston Payne.
“I enjoyed watching my students grow and gain confidence,” shared Iagulli, the AP Government teacher.
On a fun note, one perk of this field trip is that the students got to stop at Buc-ees two times. Once on the way to Columbia and the second time on the way back from the trip. The students and teachers enjoyed their time at this very popular rest stop. Many Christmas items were out and purchased, a variety of snacks were bought for the bus ride and hotel room, and many purchased random memorabilia with the Buc-ees logo.
Kaylynn Fish, a senior who competed at the state competition added, “One of my favorite parts of the trip was Buc-ees! We got to shop and wander around together. It was a great stress reliever before and after competition. ”
During the two day field trip of We the People, the students involved got to learn a lot while showcasing their hard work.
