Help Fund "We the People" to DC
Dear Incline Village Community,
On February 6th Incline High School won the Nevada State We the People… The Citizen and the Constitution competition at the Nevada State Legislative building in Carson City. Seventeen seniors will compete in the national event in Washington D.C., demonstrating their knowledge of American Government and constitutionalism. There will be 1500 students representing all fifty states, and the District of Columbia, as well as other U.S. territories will also be participating in this prestigious event.
The We the People… the Citizen and the Constitution is a civics curriculum designed to promote civic competence and responsibility among our nation’s students. During the competition in the nation’s capital, the students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles in a simulated congressional hearing, judged by members of government, academic, and legal community from around the nation. The Incline students have skillfully won competitions at the congressional district and state levels and are committed to finish in the Top 10 teams in the nation and receive awards at the national level.
The cost per student exceeds $1,500 and the students need all the financial support we can muster for them in a very quick period of time. Any donation to help them achieve their goal of $30,000 would be appreciated. Please make your check payable to Incline High School – We the People, and send or bring it to 499 Village Boulevard, Incline Village, NV 89451.
Your donation achieves two goals: it helps the students finance the trip; more importantly, it demonstrates our community support of their effort to become more knowledgeable and involved citizens.
In advance, I thank you for your generous assistance.
Sincerely,
Milton Hyams
Incline High School Government Instuctor.
Incline "We the People" Wins State Championship!
Photos at: http://inclinehs.org/index.php/about-ihs/photo-albums/category/31-state-feb-2010
You think you know more about the United States constitution than a senior at Incline High School?
Think again.
For the sixth time in 10 years, the Incline High School AP government class will represent the state of Nevada at the "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" national finals in April in Washington, D.C.
To get there, Incline's 17-member We the People class won the Nevada state competition Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Nevada State Legislature in Carson City.
The competition featured schools with much-higher enrollment figures, including College of Southern Nevada High School West, Reed High School, Canyon Springs High School and Bishop Gorman High School.
Milton Hyams, who instructs AP government and the We the People program, said his students achieved the necessary balance of passion and reason required to be successful at the competition.
“The founding fathers sought to eliminate passion from the political process, instituting a series of checks and balances to ensure reason and rationality were employed to make crucial decisions,” Hyams said. “For this reason, I'm always hesitant to say passion is the most important ingredient for success in We the People. It's more important for the students to strike a balance between informed passion and reason.”
Hyams praised his current crop of competitors, saying it did the necessary legwork leading up to state competition to ensure success.
“The students spent hours and hours in preparation,” he said. “I'm not even prepared to guess the amount of work they put in.”
“The preparation for the questions was really intense,” said IHS senior Lawrence Jolley. “As we continue on to nationals the questions are going to be more detailed and more specific. It will take a lot of work to get prepared.”
The 17 participants in the senior-only class were split up into six units of three kids. Each unit was assigned a theme, which had three separate but related questions underneath that theme.
Students developed three four-minute testimonies which functioned as an opening statement. Each of the three contestants read from the testimony, as the students decide how to divide the statement to showcase each individual's strengths prior to the competition's start.
“We the People develops a lot of different skills,” said IHS senior Erika Wegener. “It helps with writing, public speaking, thinking on your feet and you learn a lot about the American government and how to be a good citizen.”
Following the opening statement, students are tasked with a six-minute examination period, wherein they are provided cross examination questions by the judges and are required to spontaneously respond to the queries.
The contestants are not provided with the questions prior to the examination period; however, they know the questions will relate to the theme they've researched in advance of the competition.
“I was calm and collected prior to the examination period,” said senior Annamarie Marziliano. “Once the judges began asking questions, my hands began to sweat.”
Sean McClelland, a senior, said that the ambiance at the Nevada State Legislature added to his nerves.
“The district competition was held in a college class, but when you're in a huge building with all the microphones lined up in front of you, I have to admit I felt a little bit of pressure,” McClelland said.
All the students interviewed stressed the importance of teamwork in Incline's overall success.
“The whole competition is based on teamwork,” said Erin Canino, a senior. “If one person doesn't pull their weight, you'll lose.”
Even more, McClelland said teamwork extends beyond the 17 students and Hyams.
“Without coaches, community members, alumni, teachers and parents, none of this would have been possible,” McClelland said.
The 2010 We the People national finals takes place April 24-26 in Washington, D.C.
“I'm really excited to go to D.C.,” Wegener said. “I've never been there before. I hope to get to see the cherry blossoms in bloom.”
Hyams has taught AP Government at IHS the past 10 years, teaching at Reed High School for three years prior to his stint in Incline. He first became acquainted with We the People as a high school student, participating in the inaugural program in 1987.
When we was hired as a teacher of American government and American studies at Reed in 1997, Hyams began participating in the program as a teacher.
“I really enjoy the program, but I especially like what it does for students," Hyams said. “Instead of students constantly being asked what they don't know, they are being asked to share what they know. This is empowering for students.”
IHS "We the People" particpants
Below is the 17-member 2010 We the People class, taught by Milton Hyams.
Unit 1
- Ryan Lee
- Erika Wegener
- Max Wynne
Unit 2
- Bo Baker
- Annamarie Marziliano
- Sterling Vinson
Unit 3
- Sean McClelland
- Shanna Murray
- Sarah Scott
Unit 4
- Erin Canino
- Josh Dykstra
- Sean McClelland
Unit 5
- Michael Ceragioli
- Jimmy Sagan
- Sasha Severance
Unit 6
- Conor Bujeaux
- Lawrence Jolley
- Michaela Tonking
For more information on We the People, visit the Center for Civic Education.
Incline's Lila Lapanja to race with U.S. Olympic ski team
Diamond Peak Ski Team's Lila Lapanja, an Incline Village resident, is going to Jackson, Wyo., to participate in the U.S. Ski Team National Development System Women's Invitational 2010 race Sunday, Feb. 14, and Monday, Feb. 15.
She will compete against the U.S. Ski Team's Women Olympians as they prepare for their trip to Vancouver.
Lapanja, a J2 racer who is coached by her father and former Sierra Nevada College champion racer Vojko Lapanja, was one of only 13 junior racers in the USSA Western Region Division (composed of eight Western states) and the only girl in her age group from the Far West invited to participate.
The invitational showcases top female alpine talent in the country as they join the Women's Olympic Team for some seriously fast racing before the Olympians head to Vancouver.
We the People National Finals Info
2010 We the People National Finals
Event Date:
04/24/2010 to 04/26/2010
Description:
The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals is the annual culminating event of the We the People high school program. High school classes qualify for this national championship by placing first in their congressional district and state competitions.
Incline High School has qualified to participate in the National Finals by placing first in the Nevada state competition.
The competition takes the form of simulated congressional hearings. The simulated congressional hearings consist of oral presentations by students before panels of judges. Judges represent most, if not all, states in the country and a variety of appropriate professional fields. Students testify as constitutional experts before a "congressional committee," that is, the panel of judges. Each class in the competition is divided into six groups, one group for each of the six unit topics in the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (1995) high school textbook.
The testimony begins with a formal presentation by one or more students from one of the unit groups. The presentation is followed by a period of questioning during which judges probe students for their depth of understanding and ability to apply their constitutional knowledge. The format provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles while providing teachers with an excellent means of assessing performance.
When not competing, students have opportunity to tour the metro Washington, DC area. Travel, lodging, and tour arrangements for students are made by WorldStrides. The Center organizes all other national finals details. Anyone interested in attending this event should contact Jin Kim at kim@civiced.org
The first two days of hearing will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. The ten schools with the highest cumulative scores for the first two days will advance to the finals on Monday on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC.
Location:
Crystal Gateway Marriott (703) 920-3230
1700 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202-3505
United States
Contact:
Jin Kim
kim@civiced.org
Center for Civic Education
