Jasper High School Places 6th at We the People State Competition

The primary goal of the We the People program is to promote civic competence and responsibility among Indiana’s elementary, middle and high school students. The program includes an instructional component, focused on enhancing students’ understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy and discovering the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and a culminating activity of a sustained congressional hearing in which students “testify” before a panel of judges. Students demonstrate their understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. 

Jarrod Land, We the People and Government teacher at Jasper High School commented, “We had a diverse group of young men and women that coalesced into a formidable team. On Fridays, we would have debates (Glenn Buechlein coined the phrase ‘Donut Debate Friday’ when he taught the class at Vincennes). Through our debates and over the course of the preparation in their Units for the competition, the team demonstrated the kind of civil discourse that is lacking in our broader society today. They represented out school and our community in an amazing way. I am so proud of them as a team and as individuals”. 

Nicole Fant is a senior at Jasper High School who plans to attend Tulane University in the fall. Nicole plans to major in Political Science and hopes to have a career in Law in the future. After participating in We the People this year, Nicole said, “We the People has taught me how to research, argue, and defend my views in a team setting. It has prepared me for college, especially by forcing me to work closely with people I hadn’t known before. It has given me the confidence to speak about my views with the knowledge to support and discuss them with people who might not think the same way”.