Glacier High School government students tested their knowledge of the United States Constitution and took first place recently at We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution competition in Helena.

Students discussed the inner workings and relevance of the U.S. political system, its historical documents and key figures at the state competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education to promote civic competence and responsibility.

Glacier students competed against Anaconda and Laurel and outscored Anaconda by 64 points, which qualified them for national competition in Washington D.C. April 26-29.

This is the first state win for teacher Beau Wright, who took over the class from former Glacier government instructor Richard Hildner, who retired last year.

During the state competition students were split into teams. To start, each team was asked one from a possible three questions pertaining to the units. They had four minutes to answer and then respond to cross-examination by judges.

Seniors Izaak Castren, Leah Cook and Sara Christensen said all students on a team are encouraged to speak.

“We do a lot of research, look into a lot of court cases to support our arguments,” Christensen said.

They aren’t allowed to use notes or resources during the cross-examination, Castren said.

“It all has to be extemporaneous speaking and that really requires a lot of preparation on the part of the individuals,” Castren said.

Christensen said they are judged on how thoroughly they answer questions, convey ideas and how effectively they use information to support their responses. 

“You just try to be as smooth and precise to the question,” Cook said.

Wright said although he has taught government classes for years, the We the People program stands out. 

“It was a really powerful experience for me as a teacher to hear my students be able to argue the content they’ve learned this year in such a convincing and really mature, articulate way,” Wright said.

The 2013 state championship team includes Kellen Bates, Alex Benedetto, Keanna Blodgett, Izaak Castern, Katherine Champion, Sara Christensen, Leah Cook, Tyler Dailey, Lukas Dregne, Reece Erickson, Connor Fraser, Hunter Garbacz, Ian Hollander, Taylor Hulslander, Kyler Johnson, Katya Kulikova, Christopher Leopold, Tanner Maroney, Layne Matkovich, Tyler Newton, Charlie Obermiller, Kristin Owens, Levi Proctor, Reid Siderius, Makenna Siebenaler, Brandon Sladek, Madison Walters and Raisa Williams.

The group has to raise more than $40,000, Wright estimated, for all the students to travel to Washington, D.C. Wright hopes to reduce the financial burden to about $500 per student through fundraising.

“It’s kind of a Herculean task, but I’m confident we can do it,” Wright said.

What students are studying

• What are the philosophical and historical foundations of the American political system?

• How did the framers create the Constitution?

• How has the Constitution been changed to further the ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence?

• How have the values and principles embodied in the Constitution shaped American institutions and practices?

• What does the Bill of Rights protect?

• What challenges might face American Constitutional democracy in the 21st Century?