Easthampton High students show their mettle in statewide civics contest
1
EASTHAMPTON — Preparing for a statewide civics competition in Boston last weekend, Easthampton High School sophomore Willow Ross kept hoping she’d be asked about the Republican presidential candidates.
"I watched all of the debates," said Ross, one of a 10-member team the city high school sent to the Jan. 28 We the People competition at Harvard University. "I really wanted them to ask a question about political parties so I could talk about Ron Paul."
When her turn came, it was all Ross and her teammates could do to keep from grinning when the judge asked, in a follow-up question to her presentation, "So, what do you think about Ron Paul?"
It was a sign things were going their way.
Easthampton's team, all students in Kelley Brown's advanced placement U.S. history class, ended up in first place, beating out teams from seven other public and private schools across the state. Their victory earned them the right to represent Massachusetts in the national We the People competition scheduled for April in Washington, D.C.
This is only the second year that Easthampton has participated in the We the People contest, organized by the federally funded Center for Civic Education. The contest is based on units of the "We the People" high school textbook and aims to boost student knowledge about government.
As a small team from a relatively small high school, Easthampton's group faced big odds in the statewide competition, Brown said.
"A lot of the other schools do this as part of their government classes, so they have more time to prepare," she noted. "For us, it's just a part of our AP history class. We still have a whole semester to get through."
The other major challenge is that students are asked to prove their knowledge of American government through oral presentations and follow-up questions by a panel of judges.
"The judges have nothing to look at because nothing is written," Brown said. "So you really have to pack in the content and make sure students can demonstrate their thinking."
Easthampton School Committee Chairman Peter Gunn, who was one of the judges for this year's competition, said the city's team did just that.
"These kids all along were just really engaged with the questions," said Gunn, who teaches history at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton. "As a judge, I saw they answered more follow-up questions than any other panel. They were clear, concise and specific. They were on and they were feeling it."
Over celebratory clementines in Brown's class Tuesday, team members shared some of the lessons learned from taking part in the competition.
"Before this class, I pretty much knew zip about what was going on in government," said Briana LaRose, one of two seniors in the group. "I thought the president had all the power. But really, it's Congress."
"One of the biggest things you learn is how the Constitution reflects on daily life," said 10th-grader Thomas Palaschak. "All I can think about now is all the case law we read."
During the long months of study and practice and the equally tough questioning by the judges at Saturday's competition, team members said they learned to rely on each other.
"The moral support from everyone in the group was really great," LaRose said.
"Nobody was left out," agreed classmate Zachary Lewis, a sophomore.
Other members of Easthampton's winning We the People Team were: Taylor Dadmun, Tristan Koopman, and Michael Palaschak from 10th grade; Bayleigh Murphy, 11th grade; Felicia Therrien and Olivia Torres in 12th grade. Torres could not attend the competition in Boston but took part in preparation.
In Tuesday's class, Brown read congratulatory messages to the students from other teachers at the high school. A red, white and blue banner displayed in the school's front hallway also celebrated the team's victory.
Its members aren't resting on their laurels, though. Besides preparing for the nationals, the group must raise $12,000 by the middle of this month to make the trip, Brown said. Cuts in the federal education budget have meant school teams must now pay their own way to the We the People finals.
Fundraising letters are being prepared and parents meetings are being scheduled.
The national We the People contest, scheduled for April 27- May 1, will take the form of simulated Congressional hearings, according to the organization's website, www.civiced.org. Groups of students will "testify" as experts before a panel of 72 judges in U.S. Senate hearing rooms and on the campus of George Mason University.
What do they need to do to win the nationals?
Ross summed things up for her teammates: "Work hard and work together," she said.
Donations can be sent to: We the People Easthampton High School, c/o Kelley Brown, 70 Williston Avenue, Easthampton, MA 01027.
