A victory for the people
The CFHS We the People AP Government team continued its string of victories at the state competition.
(c) 2006 Bonnie Jacobs
“I guarantee you we will win the state level,” said Mrs. Loeschke at the start of September. However, her students were not as convinced of their “assured” victory.
This last week, the AP Government students participated in the state We the People competition. Many long weeks were put into preparing for this combination of constitutional history, governmental philosophy, court rulings, and contemporary scenarios. Especially in the days preceding the competition, students discussed a variety of potential questions they could be asked on their topics, as well as drafted and revised their “4 minute stance” speeches. Each of the six individual units had two separate, overarching questions to prepare, from which the judges would choose one.
On the bus ride to the state capitol, the team crammed and stressed over their upcoming trial, but once the day took off, everyone felt calm, cool, and collected as they delivered and defended their positions. Rod Reardon said, “I was a lot more comfortable than I thought I would be and we got a lot [of] positive feedback.” While only two of the six units won their respective unit award, each unit earned enough points that the team as a whole won the competition, just as Loeschke insisted they would. Abby Barrett remarked, “I feel like we were very well prepared.”
The outcome reflects a tradition of success from past Cannon Falls WEPO teams, with numerous trips to Washington DC for the national competition. Loeschke is very proud of the team this year for all of the hard work put in and asserts “they’ve earned their spot in DC.”
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