Rep. Todd Huston recognizes Hamilton County’s top-placing We the People teams

This week at the Statehouse, State Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) (right podium) honored the We the People teams from Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers Junior High School for winning their state championship competitions. Janet Chandler (left podium), who led the HSE team, is one of Huston’s former teachers. Both teams will represent Indiana at the national championship in the spring. (Photo provided)

State Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) honored local We the People teams on Tuesday at the Statehouse with a resolution recognizing their top-place finish in the 2018-2019 state competition.

In December, teams from Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers Junior High School won the We the People state championship in the high school and middle school competitions, respectively.

“We the People is a phenomenal program offering students a unique way to learn about the democratic process,” Huston said. “These kids immerse themselves in complex civics debates and develop critical thinking skills that will serve them well in their academic career and beyond.”

The We the People program was developed to teach students about the institutions of American constitutional democracy and enhance their understanding of the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It engages students through a combination of classroom curriculum, questions from judges over constitutional issues and competitions based on mock congressional hearings.

More than 600 students from 14 high schools and 12 middle schools across Indiana participated in this year’s state competition. Throughout the competition, students field questions on historic and present-day constitutional issues.

Both teams will travel to Virginia to represent Indiana nationally in the spring. The Fishers Junior High team will be defending its first place national title.

To find out more about the We the People program and the national invitational, visit civiced.org.

State Rep. Todd Huston (R-Fishers) represents House District 37, which includes portions of Hamilton County.