Tuesday, December 15, 2015 – Congratulations to Forest Hills High School and James Madison High School for earning the top two spots in the We The People NYC competition! Over 120 students competed at MLK High School, hosted by the Justice Resource Center. Classes of students from Forest Hills High School, James Madison High School, Harry S. Truman High School, Midwood High School, and Queens Vocational and Technical High School presented arguments about the Constitution’s relevance and answered judges’ questions during rounds of mock Congressional hearings.
The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Program began in 1987 through the Center for Civic Education, and promotes civic competence and responsibility among the nation’s upper elementary and secondary students. The Justice Resource Center (JRC), in partnership with the Law, Youth, and Citizenship Committee of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), offer NYC high schools the opportunity to participate in program.
The We the People competition is the yearly culminating event of the NYC program. Teams of students present for four minutes based on the six units in the text. Volunteer attorneys, politicians, and professors serve on the judges panel, and ask students questions for the final six minutes of the competition. Each team is scored based on their overall performance. The top two teams will be competing in Albany at the New York State Finals in February 2016.