News
Constitution Team Finishes Second in Regional Competition
The We the People program is a nationwide competition focused on public speaking and knowledge of government and the U.S. Constitution. Constitution Teams are divided into six units, each of which learns about a different aspect (e.g. historical, philosophical roots, Bill of Rights, etc.) of government and the Constitution. Students in each Unit prepare four-minute responses to questions provided several months in advance. At the competition, each unit presents its prepared responses, then answers six minutes of follow-up questions from a panel of competition judges. In addition to class time, students prepare by working with local attorneys, who volunteer as coaches for several hours each week.
The winner of the Oregon State Competition will participate in the We the People National Competition in Washington, D.C. in April.
In addition to the competitive program, Central Catholic also offers a non-competitive Constitution Club for students who were unable to enroll in the Constitution Team class. This year, the club has fourteen students participating in the We the People program. Way to go Rams!
And a BIG THANK YOU to all our teachers and volunteers who are supporting the next generation of students learning about our government, civic engagement and civil discourse:
- We have 13 attorney coaches who have donated hundreds of hours of time since August meeting with students to help them prepare.
- We have had 34 different guest judges who volunteered their time over the past couple months with ConTeam and ConClub.
- At our Dec. 30 dress rehearsal we had 23 guest judges (including a record 11 ConTeam alumni) all striving to improve our shared understanding of our Constitution and democratic ideals
