March 14, 2016 – This month’s JRC Featured Law Academy is Forest Hills High School, located in Forest Hills, Queens. The students in the Law Academy participate in Moot Court, Mock Trial and are perennial winners in the We The People NYC competition.
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. This year, the top two teams-Forest Hills HS and James Madison HS- competed in Albany at the New York State Finals in February 2016.
Below are two Forest Hills HS students’ perspectives on the We The People program at their school.
Student Perspective #1:
We The People has been a life changing experience for me. I have always suffered from social anxiety but after taking part in We The People I have developed better social skills as well as analytical skills that I did not have prior to taking the class. By putting myself in front of my peers and allowing them to scrutinize me has made me more comfortable with public speaking. Public speaking used to give me anxiety because I did not want to face criticism but now I welcome the criticism because I know it will make me a better presenter. Not only has We The People helped me face my anxiety but I met my closest friends in the class and they just so happen to be in my unit. From the start, my unit and I had an amazing group dynamic; We are all opposites but somehow we just clicked and the experience in the class has made us grow closer. After taking We The People I have become more aware of social, political and economic issues. I have learned the values of civic virtue, I have become more inclined to participate in my community in any way I can and I have a better understanding of our nation. Because of this, I have decided to major in political science once I enter college. All in all, We The People has been the highlight of my senior year. -Ibtidanoor Rahman
Student Perspective #2:
My time in the We the People program has been nothing but intriguing, as it was filled with compelling and enthralling discussions which has resulted in a very unique sense of knowledge that I will forever possess. This is the type of insight that cannot be obtained without a program such as this one. It has truly given me something that I have never experienced in even the most fascinating of classes in my academic career. Each day, I spent valuable and effective time with my unit members, working our hardest, trying our best and giving it our absolute dedication. We were never perfect, but I like to think that we were pretty close to it. Our prepared statements, which we spent days, if not weeks amending and improving, were not the simplest tasks to complete. Many other students would have been intimidated by the hearing questions, but with the continual assistance and encouragement from our coach/teacher, Ms. Kelly, my team and I were able to disregard any natural uncertainty and achieve a victory as the New York City Champions. By virtue of this program, I am even more comfortable and confident in public speaking and voicing my opinions. I am also more cognizant of both domestic and international social, political, and civil affairs both in the past and in the present time. This program has inspired me to continue my academic career with the politics of society in mind. In addition to the different aspects of government, I have learned a great deal about our judicial system, which I know will be beneficial in my future career. I am more than thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this program, where I met someone with such authenticity to make me, an 18 year old, want to sit and discuss government and politics. We could not have gotten as far as we have without the guidance from our coach together with her boundless faith in us. -Vimla Singh