For nearly 10 years, eighth-graders at Brown County Junior High School have brought home state and even national trophies in the We the People program.
Now, Brown County Intermediate School has its own award-winning team.
A team of 23 fifth-graders competed in a new, We the People state contest in Indianapolis on May 17 and tied for second overall in the state.
One of BCIS’ individual unit study groups also won second in the state.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]The competition is similar to the one the eighth-graders compete in, except fifth-graders prepare one speech to give at the competition, while eighth-graders prepare three speeches and then two are picked for them to actually present.
Fifth-grade competitors are split into five units of study and they have to prepare to answer follow-up questions based on their unit.
At the fifth-grade state contest this year, six teams competed including BCIS. Gold, silver and bronze scores are given at the state level. There is no national competition for fifth-graders.
Genevieve Laguna already was participating in the National History Day extracurricular research program when she heard about the first-ever We the People team being formed at BCIS.
“I thought, ‘Well, History Day is almost over and I like doing stuff about history, so I’ll join We the People.’ I like learning about specifically American history. I like learning about how our country was formed,” she said.
For Eli Wrightsman, a desire to learn about the Constitution and the country’s history is what made him decide to try out for the team. “There were some of my colleagues that were doing it, so I thought I should do it,” Wrightsman said.
“I like learning about the Constitution and history, because I want to learn how our government was formed and how you can promote the common good in your government.”
Students had to write an essay explaining why they wanted to be on the team, said co-coach Mitzi Garman.
“We wouldn’t have taken them if they didn’t have the heart, but these kids have the heart and they proved it. They’re just an amazing group,” she said.
Alayna Jacobus was unsure about trying out for the team until she heard there was a bit of debating involved.
“I thought, you know, it’s a year for experiences, so I should just go ahead and try it. I can drop out if I want to, but once I got started I did not want to drop out. It was just interesting, and I like We the People,” she said.
Aidan Henderson decided to face his fears about public speaking head-on by trying out for the team, he said.
Laguna said that the competition was “really intimidating at first.”
“Once I started with my speech, when I get into these kinds of things I’m really passionate about them, so I feel like that helped me along,” she said.
Despite the judges asking trick questions and tough follow-up questions, the students said they enjoyed competing.
“My favorite part was being there and getting the experience, because that really can set you up for life knowing about the government. Just the experience was amazing,” Wrightsman said.
“I think the most intimidating thing was probably the judges, but when we got into it we realized they are there to help us, not put us down, so that kind of lifted us up a little bit.”
Henderson said being in the last unit to go before the judges was also intimidating, but after the speeches were over, it was a lot better.
“It was like, ‘We did this. We survived,’” Jacobus added.
She enjoyed receiving feedback from the judges. “You just hear what they thought and it can help you improve on your speech or help you improve on life,” she said.
Laguna’s favorite part was watching her teammates overcome their fear of public speaking, “watching them overcome these boundaries and watching them do amazingly,” she said.
Laguna’s mom was in We the People when she was a high school student, and she helped her prepare for the competition. “She said that if she could do it, then I definitely could,” she said.
‘Like little adults’
Garman co-coached the team this year with fellow teacher Trisha Ulrich.
“They just did fabulously. I wish I could have videotaped them,” Garman said.
“I think next year I will videotape it. … You wouldn’t believe how well-spoken they were, just like little adults. They were looking the judges in the eyes.”
The eighth-grade We the People team came over from the junior high school to mentor the fifth-graders. “They were just such good leaders with them on that. That was really neat,” Garman said.
Jacobus said receiving help from the eighth-graders inspired her to want to try out for the team when she is in junior high.
“We saw how much they knew and how much they were into We the People, how much they were dedicated, and I would like to be in that group that is dedicated and ready to overcome anything. I’d like to pay it forward,” she said.
The students on this year’s team plan to help out the fifth-grade team next school year.
Fifth- and eighth-graders in Indiana study U.S. history, which is why there are We the People teams in both grades now. Since this was a new team at BCIS, the students met during study hall every day and sometimes during their lunches with the eighth-grade students. Some days the students even gave up their recess to practice.
The influence will last long after their school careers, as the students see themselves getting more involved in government, including casting votes in elections.
“Before, I wasn’t entirely sure, because I never really knew how big of an impact we can actually make on our government. But now, after going through the experience of We the People, I see myself being involved,” Henderson said.
“I thought I would vote, but now I know why it’s so important and how much of a difference it can make,” Wrightsman added.
Jacobus said it was surprising to see how much she and her classmates grew by participating.
“If we could somehow get this program to every school, think how many people would be running for government and how much more action there would be in the government. Everyone would know why the government does things,” she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”On the team” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Unit 1: What basic ideas about government did the founders have?
Aidan Henderson, Samantha Goodwin, Genevieve Laguna, Ella East, Emma Harden
Unit 2: How did the framers write our Constitution?
Mady Hawkins, Bailey Beesley, Makala Sizemore, Hailee Darnell
Unit 3: How does the Constitution organize our government? (This unit placed first in the state.)
Alayna Jacobus, Alivia Workman, Gracie Van Zuiden, Shyanna Luckey
Unit 4: How does the Constitution protect our basic rights?
Kendra Earnshaw, Amaya Perez, Kaitlyn Burris, Brooklyn Hubbard, Tristan Root
Unit 5: What are the responsibilities of citizens?
Madison Dudley, Kylie Root, Eli Wrightsman, Miah Cole, Dagan Clarke
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