MSHS We the People

Who Are We?
We are a group of 30 Marquette Senior High School students enrolled in Advanced Placement U.S. Government class with Mr. Cole.  We will be travelling to Washington, D.C. for the We the People National Finals.

We are very excited to represent Marquette and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan  at the National Finals.

"It gives me great hope for the future of our country, when I hear such articulate students with such a good understanding of our Constitution."  Several judges gave that feedback to MSHS We the People groups at the Michigan State Finals.

The students said, "We rocked it!" "This was the best!" "I learned more from this competition than from a whole year in class!" It makes their government teacher's heart so happy to hear high school students that geeked up to talk about the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution!

What is We the People?
We the People competition is an extremely valuable learning experience for students and district funding is not available for this competition. The students prepare and deliver answers to difficult Constitutional questions before a panel of adult judges.  They must then put all notes aside and answer follow up questions from the judges.  The We the People Competitions are some of the best learning experiences I have ever undertaken with students in my 27 years of teaching.

Students are enthusiastic, diligent, and very motivated in their preparations.  Each year We the People alums who have graduated come back during their winter breaks from college to help coach next year’s students.  For many students We the People State Finals is a highlight of their high school career.  With your support, we would like to make that experience even greater by participating in the National Finals in Washington, D.C.

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education  and has been in existence since the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution in 1987.  Over a million students have taken part in We the People activities nationwide since then.  In the 30 years of the National Finals over 31,000 students and 1,000 teachers have participated in the National Finals.  We are proud to represent Marquette Senior High School and the state of Michigan at the 30th annual We the People National Finals.

You can read much more about We the People and the National Finals at:
http://www.civiced.org/national-finals-2018


How much does this cost?
The National Finals have a fixed cost  of $1634 per student for schools from our part of the country.  That adds up to a total of over $50,000!   That includes the cost of putting on the competition itself, airfare, lodging, all meals,  and sightseeing in Washington, D.C.  

We would like to use this fundraising to help defray part of that cost for families of our team, especially for  the families who qualify for free school lunches under federal guidelines.

When do we need the money?
We are on a very tight timeline.  We need to pay for this competition by April 7, with some preliminary payments due before that.  So, we are in a hurry!