The school’s nationally recognized We the People team, which is affiliated with a national program put on by the Center for Civic Education, is back this year. Still wanting to compete and showcase their knowledge and talent, WTP has been forced to acclimate to Covid-19 and the changes it has caused to the normal process.

Taught by Mrs. Jill Twilleager, We the People is taken as a class that instructs students on the United States Constitution and its democratic processes. However, that is not all that WTP entails.

Senior and team member Morgan Vukovits said, “Every Sunday, we have a three-hour practice in the afternoon. In addition, we have to do a lot of research during the week. The workload is pretty heavy due to the amount of research we have to do in order to be knowledgeable on our subjects.”

Students competing on the We the People team must dedicate a lot of time and effort toward their preparation, both in and outside of school.

The team consists of nine people and six units, resulting in every person being responsible for studying two units. Vukovits said, “Units 1 and 2 deal with the philosophy and history behind the Constitution. Units 3 and 4 study each of the branches of government and anti-Federalist/Federalist viewpoints. Finally, units 5 and 6 deal with modern day issues and case laws.”

There are three levels of competition: Regional, State and Nationals. In usual times, Regional would be in person at an Indiana high school, but Covid-19 has made such arrangements unsafe and impossible. This year, the Regional competition will take place online via Zoom on Nov. 7.

From there, the winners will proceed to State and then the top two schools in Indiana will participate in Nationals. Even Nationals, which typically would be held in Washington, D.C., will take place virtually in light of the pandemic.

Even though the We the People team is being forced to navigate through some uncertain circumstances and a lot of abnormality, the spirit within it remains high and the competitive goals remain clear. Vukovits said, “I am glad to be doing WTP because I am learning things that I haven’t studied before, and it is preparing me for college and later in life.”