By Grace Yurish
On the weekend of April 13-15, students from Hollis-Brookline High School (HBHS) made their mark at the We the People 2024 National Finals, held at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia. They proudly represented the Granite State alongside 47 other schools, totaling approximately 1,200 students from across the country. The top honor at the competition went to Grant High School from Portland, Oregon.
Brought to New Hampshire Schools by the NHBA’s Law Related Education Program, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (WTP) was developed by the Center for Civic Education in 1987.
WTP promotes an enhanced understanding of our constitutional democracy, its institutions, and its fundamental principles and values. Throughout the school year, WTP students engage in critical thinking, research, and writing on various constitutional law units to defend during the program’s culminating activity.
The pinnacle of the WTP experience is a simulated congressional hearing, where students present before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress. These hearings, held in December each year at the district level and in January at the state level, provide students with the opportunity to showcase their knowledge while defending positions on both historical and contemporary issues.
The champion of the State Finals earns the chance to represent New Hampshire at the National Finals.
Led by their teacher, Trevor Duval, HBHS students secured first place against Milford High School at the State Finals in January, earning them a spot at the national finals. Despite being their first time attending the national finals, the school had been invited six times before, a testament to their consistent dedication to the program.
“It was an absolutely phenomenal group of men and women to go on this trip with,” Duval says.
HBHS students demonstrated exceptional knowledge, critical thinking, and civic engagement during their hearings on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, but the learning didn’t stop there. In their free time, the students immersed themselves in historical and cultural landmarks, from Arlington National Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial. They even had the opportunity to watch the legislative branch in action at the Capital Building and visited the West Wing of the White House.
“I feel so glad we were able to do something like that and increase their education in a non-traditional manner,” Duval says of the sightseeing. “They got a lot out of this weekend, there’s no doubt about that. The kids saw all these great things that our country can do when we work together and the things that people are willing to do for unity and the common good.”
To cover the cost of their trip, the class organized various fundraising efforts like those at town meetings and elections, as well as sending letters to businesses and individuals. Additionally, the NHBA’s LRE program supplemented their funding by donating $3,500 to their efforts.
Duval shares that he is incredibly proud of his students’ performance during the weekend including, “How they handled themselves, how they prepared themselves, their ability to adapt to changing situations, and their appreciation of where they were and the things they were experiencing. I’m proud of them on so many levels for so many different things, I can’t say just one.”
WTP is different from traditional civics curriculum, as it provides hands on experiences and in-depth research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Students must take and defend positions on six units of constitutional law principles, using historical and current examples as evidence. The program teaches students how to think, rather than what to think.
Duval uses the curriculum for his AP Civics class and says, “Every year, people say that WTP is some of the best stuff they’ve ever done in school. I’ve never had a student in my class say, ‘I didn’t like that.’”
Additionally, the program aligns with Senate Bill 216, the “More Time on Civics” law, mandating civics education for elementary, middle, and high schools, along with civic competency testing for high school students.
“Over the year, the students have become so much more poised under questioning, they have become incredibly good at giving their opinion using supporting evidence, they’ve learned to become more concise in their responses, and they’ve become better listeners.”
Beyond its benefits for students, Duval noted that WTP has transformed his teaching approach, making it more student-centered. He has brought aspects he’s learned from the program into other classes he teaches at the high school.
“It’s such a great way to watch your students soak up knowledge and share what they know without doing the ‘recite and dump’ that they do in essays or repeating what you tell them to say. It does so much and I’m really glad that I was introduced to this. It’s such a great educational experience that I don’t know why more schools don’t do it. It’s such a unique thing.”
The New Hampshire WTP program is expected to grow in the coming academic year, with new schools joining. The dedication of these schools underscores the importance of civic education in shaping responsible and active citizens.
If you know of a school or teacher who may be interested in the WTP program, contact NHBA LRE Coordinator Robin E. Knippers at reknippers@nhbar.org.