Ft. Thomas Highlands team wins state 'We the People' competition
Kentucky's 2014 "We the People" Championship Team
A team from Ft. Thomas Highlands High School won the state “We the People” Constitution competition and will represent Kentucky in the national finals. A second team from Ft. Thomas Highlands earned a wild card bid to nationals after finishing second overall in the Jan. 30 state competition.
The contest, hosted by the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville, assessed students’ knowledge and understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Teams studied law, historical decision making and key events and then participated in mock Congressional hearings. Judges evaluated the students.
Teams from Bullitt East and Franklin County High School also competed in the high school division. Westport Middle School competed in the middle school division.
Both Ft. Thomas teams will participate in the national championship, held annually in congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The teams are coached by Megan Boimann-Hennies. Brian Robinson is the school principal.
"In an era when the refrain is that we don't converse civilly with each other, the 'We the People' program is a shining example of a curriculum that allows students to engage in scholarly discussion about foundations of the U.S. Constitution and the rights and the responsibilities of citizens," said Glenn Manns, state coordinator for Kentucky's "We the People" program. "The teachers and administration deserve a lot of credit in supporting this program. It is a time-intensive program, but they recognize the value of educating their students to be citizens in our republic."
Members of the state championship team include:
- Amanda Augsbach
- Michael Ayers
- Andrew Bausch
- Andrew Buten
- Brian Condon
- Chris Cox
- Paige Dauer
- Colin Dean
- Laura Fernandez
- Mollie Finnegan
- Lindsey Franxman
- Abigayle Gibson
- John Michael Griffith
- Donna Hall
- Madison Ivey
- Jordan Jarvis
- Nicole Nurre
- Jake Parker
- Alexandra Pendery
- Justin Reutter-Matthews
- Abigail Schweitzer
- Tyler Schweitzer