The video follows a group of high school students participating in a competitive civics program called "We the People." The students are from diverse backgrounds, each bringing unique challenges and perspectives to their preparation for the competition. The narrative showcases their journey, highlighting the challenges, teamwork, and personal growth involved in preparing for state-level competitions.

The program emphasizes the importance of understanding political systems and debating contemporary issues, such as racial and political gerrymandering, individual versus social responsibilities, and free speech. The students engage in rigorous practices, learn public speaking skills, and take on challenging debates while being coached to think critically and articulate their arguments effectively. Throughout, there is a strong emphasis on the role of hard work, determination, and resilience.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. censorship [ˈsɛnsərˌʃɪp] - (noun) - The suppression or prohibition of parts of books, movies, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. - Synonyms: (restriction, suppression, control)

Why is there this more of a push towards censorship in Republican states?

2. habeas corpus [ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔrpəs] - (noun) - A legal principle that requires a person to be brought before a judge or into court to secure their release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention. - Synonyms: (legal action, legal procedure, judicial review)

The most important principle of justice is probably habeas corpus and the right to know why you're being imprisoned, if you are possibly being imprisoned.

3. code switch [kəʊd swɪtʃ] - (verb) - To adapt one's style of speech, appearance, behavior, etc., to different sociocultural norms, especially when switching between languages or dialects. - Synonyms: (adapt, alter, shift)

Going to Wauwatosa, like, it really made me, like, code switch and adapt.

4. gerrymandering [ˈdʒɛrimændəriŋ] - (noun) - The deliberate manipulation of district boundaries for electoral advantage, usually to favor one party over another. - Synonyms: (redistricting, manipulation, boundary manipulation)

Obviously, recruiting congressional districts is a hot topic all over the place right now. When are we talking about racial gerrymandering and when are we talking about political gerrymandering?

5. probation [proʊˈbeɪʃən] - (noun) - A period of supervision over an offender ordered by the court instead of serving time in prison. - Synonyms: (supervision, oversight, trial period)

I don't want to kill somebody's willingness to learn, but if he doesn't show up, I can't allow him to compete, so I've had to put him on probation.

6. redlining [ˈrɛdlaɪnɪŋ] - (noun) - A discriminatory practice by which banks, insurance companies, etc., tend to offer fewer services or provide a worse quality of service to neighborhoods determined by racial composition without regard to the residents' qualifications or creditworthiness. - Synonyms: (discrimination, exclusion, bias)

Despite redlining being barred in 1968, Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in America.

7. resilience [rɪˈzɪliəns] - (noun) - The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. - Synonyms: (perseverance, durability, strength)

Grit and resilience is something that runs strong in all of my kids.

8. legacy [ˈlɛɡəsi] - (noun) - Anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor. - Synonyms: (inheritance, heritage, bequest)

Maggie Walker has a history. 25 years is a long legacy.

9. factionalized [ˈfækʃənəˌlaɪzd] - (adjective) - Divided or split into smaller groups, often with differing opinions or interests. - Synonyms: (divided, split, schismed)

We're so polarized that we refuse to see eye to eye with each other. It's hard for anything to get done in the government. With the current state of our factionalized government.

10. segregation [ˌsɛɡrəˈɡeɪʃən] - (noun) - The action or state of setting someone or something apart from others; a system of separation. - Synonyms: (isolation, separation, apartheid)

Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in America.

High School Civics Teams Compete in the State Finals - Citizen Nation - Full Episode 3 of 4 - PBS

So, buddy, how's that class way the people going for you? What are you practicing? Q and A. Like the questions that the judges ask you? He tells us we have to answer the question more directly. So next week, we run through each one of them again, and we go to state. You guys excited? Confident. For state, there's this school, Cheyenne south, and I think they're our biggest competitors, but it's going to be a lot of work. If we win state, we go to D.C. and then we compete. It'd be really cool to go to D.C. there's a variety of different political ideologies, you know, in my group, in life. Yeah, true. Nobody can meet in the middle. It's tearing our country apart. We might have to make a move. Yeah, we got to go. That's a nice buck I'm chasing. Is he a big one? Yeah, he is.

Hi, guys. You ready to rock and roll? We have one month and one day before competition. From right now, I'm feeling pretty stressed, honestly. I mean, there's a lot of pressure. The kids don't want to let me down, and I don't want to let them down. Okay, folks, listen up. We're going to go ahead and get started. When it comes to competition, it's pretty cutthroat. Why is there this more of a push towards censorship in Republican states? A lot of those books that are being debated currently have LGBTQ ideas, and that's something that doesn't really go with the agenda that the Republican Party is trying to push. What do you think the most important principles of justice are? The most important principle of justice is probably habeas corpus and the right to know why you're being imprisoned, if you are possibly being imprisoned. I personally would disagree. I believe that without rule of law and an equal application of the law to the rulers of today was much better. It was cleaner. There was more evidence. You were speaking more directly to the questions, which I told you has been a problem. So I really appreciate you taking what I'm telling you and at least attempting to remedy it. That tells me that you're coachable, that you're buying in, and that you're trying to get better every time that we do this. You made really good progress, but you got to keep going. We got to go back to the drawing board. Let's go. No lie. Okay. Like the spear guy.

Has the bell rang yet? Something like that. I do want you to think about this. You score better as a team if you look like a team. Right. So it's really important to Me that we look similar. And so, like, I don't want somebody to, like, stand out too much. Okay. Not that I don't believe in your individuality. I normally do. We don't have as many resources as Sheridan. I want it to be our outfits that disqualify us. Right. Most of my kids have jobs because they have to economically help their families out. It looks really, really nice. The very first time I brought kids to compete, I think we were judged in many aspects on what we were wearing. And it broke my heart because we didn't have things to dress nice. And I said, we're not going to do that anymore. So I went to a business on the south side, got them to sponsor some blazers. So I have full uniforms for my kids. Yeah, go ahead. All rise. You know, and I go. Okay. And then we all wait.

Okay. Now, something I want you guys to keep in mind is your body language. Okay? Yes. When you're competing. Okay. Sit up. You're confident. You guys know your crud. How hard have we worked? Right. So be confident. But also, if you're in the audience, I want you to watch your body language. Okay. Last year, I had this issue where when we were competing, the judges can see you guys, right? And we had people last year who were, like, at people's responses, and I'm like, ooh. Because the first thing you did is you're not being supportive of your teammate, and you just scoffed and rolled your eyes. But now the judge has seen you, too. So you've just now cued in the judge that we did something probably wrong. Okay? We're all doing the same thing for the greater good. So everybody good there, because remember, it's we the people, not us the people. Amen.

Thank you, Elias. Yeah. Stay with your chest, bro. Okay, does everyone know how to shake hands, firmly grasp it, and stare them intently in the eyes to see who backs down first? No. I'm just teasing up the ability to overcome and practice. Grit and resilience is something that runs strong in all of my kids. You want kids who've experienced life to be your next generation of problem solvers. Mario has been MIA for about a month. It's hard because we kept just, like, rooting for him, but he wasn't being a part of the team at that point. Mario's super bright. I just think Mario has a lot of demons and bigger issues that come into play that I have no control over. I don't want to kill somebody's willingness to learn, but if he doesn't show up, I can't allow him to compete, so I've had to put him on probation.

Hey, Mom. Hey, Mom. I'm in hell. How are you? I'm doing all right. I'm doing good. How are things over there? How are things over there? Good. Business is really, really slow. Recently, I had a serious lapse of judgment. Did something incredibly stupid. I drove drunk and I hit a sign, totaled the car. I was driving. At that moment, I blacked out. And I woke up in jail confused and stuff. Let me see you. I'm doing fine. I'm fine. Are you eating okay? I could be doing better. I could be doing better. I felt terrible and, like, remorseful. Genuinely remorseful. Because I could have hurt somebody. I could have hurt myself. I could have killed someone. You know, like something serious could have happened. I am thinking maybe it's better if you come over here with us. Maybe. I got pretty lucky. When they arrested me. They gave me a youthful offender charge. Just means the charge gets removed from my public record when I turn 18. But emotionally, are you okay? Oh, yeah, I'm doing good. Oh, yeah, I'm doing good. Yeah. Sure? Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure.

Now I have to get an ignition interlock restricted driver's license, which means that I had to get one of those breathalyzers installed in the car. It could be worse. Listen, Mom, I got to go, so. I miss you. I miss you too, Mom. Bye. Love you. Bye. Love you, too. Bye. Love you, too. I'm a teenager. We party. That's just like. That's something that kids do, right? But going to jail made me, like, reflect on all that stuff. I was like, I really should not be touching any of this. There's never one term, one sentence, one page of a book that could actually explain who someone is. I feel like you gotta deeply understand them. Ms. Lynn was telling me, like, I really want you to compete, but I don't know if you're going to be able to. So, like, this is the last chance I can give you. I do like we the people. So I wanted to compete. So it kind of hit me, like, I kind of got to get my stuff together if I want to, like, if I want to participate, you know, it was just something that I realized on my own. Like, yeah, she's right. I need to. I need to get my stuff together.

Today is, lucky for you, half off of short. I've done theater 11, 12 years now. I have played cello for 10 years. I work a lot academically. My parents are both professors at Marquette. We are a Family that believes in high level education. My full name is Journey Love. I got the name my mom. She was like, life is full of love and a journey full of Anwar. I've lived in Milwaukee my entire life. I grew up in a very black neighborhood. Despite redlining being barred in 1968, Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in America. Being in a community where it's only people that look like you is limiting. At my previous school, I would say 95% of the school is black. Going to Wauwatosa, like, it really made me, like, code switch and adapt. Obviously, recruiting congressional districts is a hot topic all over the place right now. When are we talking about racial gerrymandering and when are we talking about political gerrymandering? I feel like it's both political and racial gerrymandering. Black people typically lean, like blue and vote Democrat. The people who create the maps are the word they use was cracking black districts to dilute their vote. Okay, all right. As far as partisan gerrymandering and how to distinguish between racial and partisan gerrymandering, there is a lot of entanglement there. Vin is a very hardworking person. Sometimes I'm glad to be in his group somewhat, but I feel like we kind of like, butt heads. I told him, you challenge everything I say, and he was like, do I? I was like, exhibit A.

Under Davis v. Bandimer, there is no jurisdiction by the courts over partisan Jaymandrung, even if there is a racial element. Ok, thanks, guys. Let's make sure we get all the clusters put back together, please. They're groups of four, except this one is a group of five. I think about dropping we the people every single day because I kind of feel out of place as a minority, as a woman. It's hard to get my voice out there and be confident. I go back to why I wanted to take this class journey. Just always was about her books and just wanting to learn. She just really felt like she wanted to be something strong when Obama was in office. She's like, well, how come there hasn't been any woman president ever? And then in her mind, she's like, well, I'm gonna be president. I have AP lit homework. She stood up and just been wanting to take charge.

Have any of you watched your district video? We did. I am certainly in pain. So right there, Ethan answered the question. All right, so he gave evidence, and then he puts the reasoning at the end. That's where you win. State is like, not answering it, not giving the evidence. But how do you End it. When we won first place, I was so happy, like, all our hard work had paid off. The Supreme Court. But at the same time, I feel like I kind of faltered a little bit. We got our scores back, and we were like, nines across the board. And then it was just one judge. What role? The federal judiciary. See, I look angry. I'm not smiling. Okay. A little bit. Okay. You just look very focused. The number one rule is you do not say sorry. When you slip up, you keep going and you move forward. That was my biggest mistake. I get so hard on myself because I'm like, you know this. You know what you're supposed to be doing. I know what I believe in, and I want to defend that. In order to do that, you have to come with confidence because you have to be correct. So you can't. You can't falter. I'm defending human rights. I'm defending abortion. I'm defending the rights of LGBTQ people. I'm defending the rights of immigrants. In order to do that, I have to remember all those facts. I have to remember all those numbers, statistics, dates. My head's like a little library. So, like, where in my head, and it's just like these bookshelves, there's aisles like, women's rights, racial issues, gender issues, Nigerian issues, international politics. Like, right now, I'm just walking towards the education sector. Nevada is actually 47th in education. Okay. The U.S. chamber of Commerce did a study and surveyed and said that people post Covid stayed. 27% of people post Covid stayed home because they had someone to take care of. 28% of people said post Covid that they had to take care of themselves. In August of 2023, 3.6 million people left their jobs, and it was referred to as quit Talk. We spend $4,000 in comparison to the rest of with jobs. There is a 1.7 million missing gas. The highest rate of drunk drivers employs 9.6 million people. The highest rate of teen prevention. One out of three people do not have access to childcare. And, yeah, that's one of the few that I know we won't have anything to do on that, but we can start.

All right. How's everyone feeling? Good. Right now. You're just trying to build your confidence. You're prepared. You know what you're talking about. And then the more that you can just go with that. Okay, I have a question. So do you think it's possible that a partisan Congress could leverage this to undermine votes from states that they don't want? Well, we really see this happening with the fact that the Supreme Court refuses to step in. January is a crazy race to the finish line. It's all across the country. You've got teams just like mine that are scrambling, pushing it to the limits, because they all want a chance at the national title. The state competition is just this huge moment. A lot of my stress goes into the preparation for the state competition, because then it's over if we don't advance. I feel some of that pressure. Gosh, what if this is the year that we don't advance to nationals? You can't fake it. You really have to be good. We're talking about losing by the smallest of margins or winning by the smallest of margins. We didn't even make it to state my first year here, but then I was like, we're coming back with a vengeance. It gets tougher every year. You know, teachers get better, schools get more competitive. You may have a stellar, amazing group of students, but someone else may have an even more stellar and amazing group of students. Everybody wants to win, and that's just the way it is.

I think we're all just facing a general exhaustion from repeated information. So I think we should calm down. This is unit bombing time. Yeah. Maggie Walker has a history. 25 years is a long legacy. And now we have to kind of prove ourselves. We've pretty much been having a practice round every day and prepping for states by, like, really beefing up our study guide for the general election. It's intense, but I have never felt smarter in my life. Can I tell you guys some of the random things that I pulled up that I feel like I should share with everyone? You should. One thing is the cube rule. Do we know what this is? Because I do not know what this is. Cube rule. Like, Square, but in 3D. Sorry. We're passionate for learning in a very nerdy way, and all we talk about is the Constitution. But do you have the scholar that came up with this rule? Because that would make it even more impactful. We have so many scholars, like, established by Mr. Guy with the time crunch. My unit, they drive me 100%. Nixon versus Fitzgerald's. Like, the consequences of your actions, you can't be prosecuted. It's not presidential immunity. If it's ever brought up. I have the actual Roman history behind it because it's Roman principle. It is the reason Rome fell down. Don't get too rab a hole with it. Yeah. The only reason, if I'm going to mention, obviously, destruction of.

The destruction of democracy because it Allowed the executive to become a dictator. I Disagree with this. 65 plus. I am exhausted, stressed, mentally drained. I am pretty sure I am talking about the Senate in my sleep these days. What we got? Pasta. Spending. Got a fixed chip. Nice. How was your day? How's the competition? Stressful. We have had so many practice rounds this week. At least one or two a day. During school or after school? Both. My dad has said he'll try to be there. Question two is not my favorite question. I know he'll be going back and forth between Glen Allen and Maggie Walker throughout the day. I've tried to convince him to tell me how his unit four does, but he's refusing. Guess that's our argument. Keep it quiet from your team. Yeah, I won't tell them. We'll still beat you. I hope my dad will be there just so I can show off a little bit, prove that I actually do know what I'm talking about. I was not lying to you. How you doing today? Love you. Love you. Keep us posted.

Have fun. Okay, wave out the window. We're leaving. Listen up. I want you to relax and have fun till we get to Casper. But once we eat lunch, we're fully engaged. Understand? Okay. So if you want to go to sleep or listen to music or talk. We're trying to get kids to think. How is the three fifths compromise connected to the electoral college? They have more representation in the House, so they have more members in the House. It's the best part of teaching the people. It's really getting kids to think about their own ideas about these different topics. And these are hard topics, which is why slavery didn't end in 1808 like it was supposed to. You got to do a lot of work on your own. They screwed up big time. And you got to figure out both sides because the judges are going to say, well, you said this, but what's the other side going to say? So it's not enough to just know your side. You have to know all the way around. This is why the Senate is not right representing the states. And this is why the House should only senators now they're appealing just to their voters to get votes. I think that teaching students to critically think about government, who should regulate the Second Amendment, helps them better find their way into society. I think last time I checked, I just want to create better citizens, better thinkers, more engaged citizens. That to me, is much more important than anything else.

It's 10 minutes on your line. Okay. Get out of the gates. Hot. Say something to begin with. So Then you're not thinking during Q and A. Oh, my God, I need to talk. Oh, my God, I need to talk. Okay. I will outwork and outwork and outwork till I get the result that I want with the kids. I want two examples of maybe states or specific districts that have banned books. New York, they banned Slaughterhouse 5 down the mean street, they banned 11 books. This was directly what Pico. So you have one. Do you want to do another one? Yeah. Okay, so we're gonna split it. Me in? Yeah, so you have yours, and then Audrey will come up with another one. I'll memorize all six books. They banned 11 books. We're all very concise and well integrated. We're not really having too many dramas other than, like, Mario not showing up to class and a couple people procrastinating. That's why Ms. Lint thinks we're going to nationals this year. Okay, so let's. Let's move one over. Mario came in and I sat down with him and I was like, I almost cut you. And he's like, I know, Mario. Give me a second. I'll get you your binder. Hey, Mario. Be here at 6:45. It's at the Capitol. Okay. Okay. I asked his team before he showed up. I'm like, do you want Mario to compete tomorrow? And they were like, yeah, because I do think he provides a different perspective than we have. So I gave him one more chance. I kept just extending the olive branch.

All right, ready? Yep. How do we achieve democracy with so much diversity today in the world's third biggest country with there just simply isn't a way for everyone to get what they want out of politics if it's being ran in a centralized area like the Washington, D.C. controls the entirety of the U.S. despite Mario Antunes. That's a really smart kid. He is definitely a. An asset to unit three. Would you have been a federalist or an anti federalist? And why? I suppose I would have been an anti federalist because I just don't want a large government in my business. Yeah, agreed. I like my rights. I like them where they're at. I would like to disagree. I would like to be a federalist as I believe the system of checks and balances would prohibit any form of national government to prohibit my rights. I would like to build on what my colleagues said by further disagreeing. Part of why I actually dislike the federal government being so powerful is because of the massive amounts of grievances it's put on other groups of people that we also just Ignore. Because they're not Americans. We see this with the invasion of Iraq or the invasion of Afghanistan. And it's allowed because we have such a powerful government. Nice. Great job coming out of the gates, Mario. That was good. Come on, guys, let's go. Examples of restrictions on freedom of religion. Reynolds v. Lexus. Caucuses. Like what? The Congressional Black Caucus. Bicameralism. Two houses and a legislative body.

How many senators? Two. Social contract, covenants with God. American democracy. Magna Carta, Fed. Ten ratification. Explicit reformation. Luther pensions that arise from bicameralism. Fighting for Israel. Student freedom of speech, Tinkerbeda Moines censorship. Addixy chicks. Good job. Go. Get out of here. Keep prepping. Good job. Typically, on a week where we're preparing for competition, I'm putting anywhere between 20 to 40 extra hours a week. Week. It's hard because I don't have boundaries. And, like, I try to explain it to my husband. I'm like, it's. It's my core. It's just who I am. Like, I'll get off and I'll want to go do something. I want to go eat dinner. I want to go to a movie on Friday night. And she can't always do that. She's gotta do her stuff at work. It's frustrating to him because in many ways, his love language is time, and I feel like I can never satisfy that. I know you're pissed, and I don't think Chris understands it because to him, it is a job, and I can't separate myself from it. Every season we go through it, and I know you're passionate about it and you love it, but.

Okay, I'm sorry. I'm kind of one track mind on everything I have to get done, and then my life goes back to normal when this is over. Unless you make it to Nashville. Yeah. And then we're in it for four more months. You know it's gonna be busy in November, and you know it's gonna be busy in December. And I thought we had it figured out. And, like, I just. I hate having this discussion over and over again. If you ask Erin, she'll say it's her last year. She says she's done, but I don't think it's anything she can ever give up. I would like to say, like, I'm gonna put less effort in it, but I know myself, and I can't turn it off. Putting less effort in it is finding a balance. Do I know balance with anything? I'm like an all or nothing kind of person. It's just who I am. We'll get through this year, and we'll figure out next year later.

The first big snow of the season. Southeast Wisconsin is bracing for it. Between heavy snow and strong winds, poor visibility poses risks on the road. It's been a stressful 24 hours. Well, honestly, it's been a stressful week. We've been at school every day at 6am before our first hour period kicks in so we can get extended time together. Okay, so, guys, let's do a unit check in real quick. Fatigue is starting to kick in, and then the uncertainty of the competition tomorrow. If the weather is going to start to take a turn for the worse, they're only going to maybe do one round, and that is going to determine the winner of the competition in this class. They put a lot of pressure on us because they've won 18 out of 19 state competitions, and I really don't want to be the second out of 20 years to lose. Let's embrace our philosophy just for a second, trust our process. We prepare ourselves to be ready to compete no matter what that looks like in person, online, our job. I'm a very competitive person. I go into competition mode, and I really lock in and, like, get the job done. And I want to go to D.C. i want to experience that. So I have all the confidence in the world that you guys going into tomorrow, no matter what form we're going to do it in tomorrow, you know, everything that you need to know to be dangerous. Go home, relax, and just wait for the word as to what we're doing, how we're doing it, and where we're doing it.

Welcome to Southwest Airlines. I'm feeling ecstatic, bro. Hi, guys. We're at the pain now. Legally Blonde is the most influential woman in the United States. The message behind it is quite amazing. She's not mean, and she literally proves everybody wrong because, you know, and she just does it looking amazing in cute pink outfits, which. That is such an inspirational message, truly. Like, I think I'm, like, most nervous for is just, like, the question, like, what kind of questions are they gonna ask? I think it'll be good for us to have some adversity, no? Exactly. Okay. Is that good? Yeah. Ready? Is there a dance at this thing or just at nationals? It's nationals. Oh, Shane. Kat and I saw some really cute blazer. See, the good part about the tie is it always evolves in the beginning, it's not looking too great. In the end, it gets a little better. That's just like, we the people turn out Great. But it ends amazing. Oh, there he is. The man, the myth, the legend, Michael Thomas in the flesh. I'm feeling emotional. I think this group has just has been so special. And no matter what happens, be proud of yourselves, bro. Why'd you have to say that? Let's face it, what I'm most worried about is the other schools up north, like Reno High School. The Competition is stiff.

1, 2, 3, win. Being closer to the legislature, having that kind of generational support. Red, blue, Real Huskies. Whoa. Good morning. I know today's going to be an incredible day. I can just feel the empathy. There is a competition between north and south, but really it's just Vegas and Reno. We have more diversity because we are like an epicenter for immigration. Our community tends to be more of a first generation, just foot in the door kind of team. Make sure your phones are on. Do not disturb. What advice would you be providing to some of our leaders in terms of their international relations? At this point, an overwhelming majority of Americans are anti war. We don't stand for this, and we would like to call for a ceasefire.

I was scared. I knew I had to be more interpersonal with the judges instead of being so, like, standoffish. Do we as a nation emphasize individual rights to the detriment of our social responsibilities? The First, Third and Fourth Amendments of our U.S. bill of Rights all protect individual rights, declaring the freedom of expression such as speech, press and religion. Reno High School, like, yeah, they were polished. But when you're cross examining our team, you're gonna get like real passion about the subject. You're gonna get personality sprinkled in there. You can see how excited my group is, but this is something we heavily discussed.

What might the framers have to say about what's going on today? I think the framers would be absolutely appalled at what's happening today because they specifically included mechanisms in our Constitution to avoid the political gridlock that we see today. There's an amendment process that exists in Article 5 that we can use. We were all pulling up things that we had all studied that the other person didn't know we had studied. Anti imperialist. Mark Twain once said that we have gone there to conquer, not to redeem. When Jonathan pulled out that Mark Twain quote, all of us were like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

What steps should the United States be taking in order to continue that our Bill of Rights be used as an impact in the world? We as a nation should not impose ourselves onto people. In Nigeria, there was a very heavy. Our entire team just had, like, A lot of spot on responses, like, they just really hit the nail on the head. And while we continue to be a beacon of democracy in the. We should be a stencil, not a pen. America should be a stencil, not a pen. Everybody was just wowed by that. It really just gave us confidence that, like, I think we have what it takes to win this thing. Fabulous job. I truly enjoyed that. It was like a dance. Didn't always agree, but you kept going. You scaffolded your ideas. Our future is in good hands. Thank you so much. Thank you.

How are you guys feeling right now? I was nervous. Couldn't contain my anxiety. All right, here we go. You ready? Unit one goes to Reno high school. When we heard the first unit announcement, we're like, we're all cooked because unit one is, like, our best unit. I am so honored to give Unit 2 award to Reno high School. And then you hear the second one, and you're like, okay, well, that's upsetting. Okay. Unit three goes to Reno high school. When we heard Reno win for the third time, we were like, okay, they swept. They're gonna go to nationals. Not us. I'm trying. I think I see where this is going. Unit 6 goes to Reno high School. I really had believed up to that point that southwest had a chance at the nationals. All right, I'm gonna need a drum roll here. Ready? I think we know. Yeah. I mean, our state champion for Nevada is Reno high School. Let's go, Huskies.

I'm not gonna be the type of person who's like, this is the worst day of my life. I tried. Tried so, so hard. I'm like, I know I tried hard. Everybody here tried hard. I could just be, you know, trying to, like, cope with my loss, but I kind of wish the judges had factored in, like, the human element into it more. I. There you go. You look good. You know, more than most American citizens now at this point. Don't stress. You've done the hard work. So close your eyes. Close your eyes. Hey. I want you to imagine tonight, okay? You guys are going to kill it.

At the end of the day, all that I care is that you guys have grown. And every year I say, this is my best team yet. This is my best team yet. This is my seventh year, and I have to tell you, this is my best team yet. Yeah. You have to show what you know. We're at that point. Trust what you've been taught to do, and you're gonna be just awesome. Finale. Let's go. Lay it out on the table, guys. You got this. You prepped, you're ready to go. Do it.

Just take a deep breath, you'll be fine. Mario and Tunes, if you can hear me, you were allowed to have one Dr. Pepper. The switch is seamless for me. This is like normal me. I'm all, I'm all hanging out, like just sitting back, relax. And then like professional. Elias is like, I'm sitting up straight. I'm looking at you straight in the eye. Yes, yes, sir. I got you, sir. This is how it's going to go. Boom, boom, bam.

Our question today, the United States Supreme Court recently ruled that under the second amendment firearms regulations must be, quote, consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation, unquote. Do you agree your right to own guns is very well, a private matter. In my opinion it is important that we keep our privacies to ourselves with our laws that we make. Or do you guys think that having our two party system is the right way to be? Competing was a little nerve wracking because I'd never been in that type of environment before for that exact reason. I wanted to read with my colleague.

You know, you have to come up with quick rebuttals to the questions they're going to ask you. I just tried to keep my cool and keep my thoughts concise and short. We're so polarized that we refuse to see eye to eye with each other. It's hard for anything to get done in the government. With the current state of our factionalized government.

Are there benefits for restricting access to certain books that you believe outweigh concerns about free speech? The more important thing here is a student's right to education and a student's access to library materials. We have an opt out policy that requires the book in question to be read by the parent. Could use the Miller test with these certain books which has three prongs. The first is if people do not find it appropriate. Number two would be if it is overtly sexual in any way, like 50 shades of gray. And finally, the third prong is if it has educational, literary, artistic or historical value.

Auditorium Auditorium. Ladies and gentlemen, teachers, coaches and most importantly, the bright and talented high school students in this room. Wyoming is fortunate in that we have a wild card to the national competition. That means that our top two teams will receive invitation to compete at national scoring. In first place for Wyoming, we the People 2023. Congratulations to Sheridan High. In second place, Cheyenne South High School. Okay guys, better start packing your bag. We kicked butt because of Ms. Limp. We kicked our own butt so that we could kick butt. We scored higher than East. We scored higher than Central. That silver looks gold to us.

So here's what we. Here's what we're going to do. Read your statement, go over any less anticipated follow up questions. You want to make sure that obviously set the tone. Make sure everyone is kind of moved. Cases and quotes. You really want to enunciate those things because those are the things that the judges are looking for.

We're having logistical problems getting the judges together. So I'm going to have to cancel. And you will get more official information via email. I think shortly. This, with the snowstorm is affecting everybody. So that is basically the weather just was not cooperating. This isn't where the road ends, though. You put all this work in and we'll be ready to go whenever they ask us to be ready to go. Right? We're going to be in person. We're not going to be in person. We're going to be in zoom. We're going to do one question only. We're canceled. Life throws you curveballs and you just adapt and overcome Big black buns, nervousness and adrenaline. This is gonna be good. It'll be fine. It'll be fine.

Hopefully my dad, my mom and my sisters are all sitting in the room. Okay, you on? All right. Good afternoon, everybody. How we doing? All right. This is Maggie Walker, Unit four. Is that correct? Yeah. Yep. I'm Kaden Van Valkenberg. I'm Natalesia. I'm Emmett Otarnicola. I'm Rayhan Jain. I take it from the Von Valkenberg that there's a whole bunch of competition anxiety here. I was like, take a deep breath. Try to get my face back in order. Because calming myself is just nearly impossible.

Can you explain the 17th Amendment and how it can be used for corruption in citing my least favorite question. This is not something that's got like a legal question so much as it is like the moral ethical question. Now senators have to worry about money when it comes to their elections and managing to get out the word of their campaign, which leaves them more vulnerable to the influence of lobbying groups and super PACs. I could just see judges nodding along and it was just like, yes. I think our point kind of just like landed. How do we prevent from the court to essentially side with whatever the president does because he's the one that gave them their job. There are some small checks on this, such as the fact that the Supreme Court does have a lifetime appointment, meaning that they don't need to follow that president's commands because they still will hold their jobs no matter what they do. Really did a good job. How did the courts or Congress attempt to limit Lincoln's power during the Civil War? And were they successful? Congress was actually in recess, so Lincoln made this decision with the legislative branch completely not being there. However, the court ruled that both actions were unconstitutional. Congress did not have to baptize it within these actions. And so it kind of dictates the idea that the court is kind of a reactive body.

The executive has the power of the sword, Congress has the power of the purse. Yet the judicial branch has the power of mere judgment. We see this even in Trump versus Hawaii. Do you think that presidential power and privilege should extend beyond the term in office? When you commit a crime that is not related to your job as president, you should not have immunity. We were just on fire. We were locked in. We were answering every single question with evidence that we had gathered over weeks of hard work. I felt like you were like James Madison who came to the party prepared, Right? Excellent.

We killed it. It's our best performance, like, ever. All right, the scores can go to Jen. 40. Yes. 42. Yes. 40. Yes. 49. 37. Passengers. Just to be doubly sure, can we double check everything? Yes, we can. Who do you want to check first? We're going to go through the whole stack. Okay. Internally, I'm basically repeating two sentences. One, we've got this. We'll do fine. And the other one is, but what if we don't do fine?

We will recognize the first through fifth place teams in reverse order. For fifth and fourth place teams, please stand where you are and be recognized. Fifth place goes to Western Albemarle High School. Fourth place goes to Maggie Walker's governor's school. Feels like collective gasp. The team's shocked. Mr. Yu's shocked. Everyone from Glen Allen's shocked. I'm shocked. Please come to the states. And it's just like what just happened.

Third place goes to Freeman. It was very still. You're trying to compose yourself and it's kind of robotic in a way. We're excited to announce that Virginia has a wild card invitation to the national finals. So our second place team also can attend this wonderful event. Second place goes to Glen Allen High School. Oh, my God. Our Virginia state high school, we the people champion is Douglas Vimid. While our competition is over, your civic contributions do not end today. In fact, this is just the beginning. Thank you and good afternoon to you all.

Yeah. Okay. No, it's not it. We spent all year together. Constitutional knowledge of the depth that you gain in we the People is not something that you can simply cast aside. It's not like a consolation prize. It's nice to know that all the hard work that we put in is still there. And it's also good to experience disappointment. But this disappointment hasn't necessarily broken me or made me swear off constitutional law in any way. I want to do it again. And how's audio in here? Is it less echoey?

What was that? Yeah, you're good. You're good. Hello, judges. Can you hear us? We can hear you. Good evening. Well, okay, I'll cut to the chase. You guys have won. Congratulations, and we'll see you at Nationals.

Education, Inspiration, Politics, Civics Competition, Student Resilience, Teamwork, Pbs