By Harlie Bates-Hudgin

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Showing off is one thing, knowing it is another. For 16 Advanced Placement (AP) Government students, they had it all. On Feb. 1 at the Federal Courthouse, Social Studies teacher Dr. Amy Perruso and her band of students won a spot in the National We the People competition by placing first in the state competition.

“We’ve poured so much time and energy into preparing ourselves for the competition,” said Senior Caytlin Yoshioka, “We the People was the culmination of four years of history classes for some of us, where we could present everything that we had learned since freshman year, so it seemed surreal when this was enough to propel us to nationals, that’s for sure.”

The program was first initiated in 2005 and from then on has been integrated in the AP Government curriculum. “In 2005, the first time I did it, I just brought in outside experts like lawyers and judges to be judges in the classroom,” said Perruso, “You can do it in a classroom setting, just having small congressional hearings and having the students participate.”

Unlike other competitions, We the People consists of six units focusing on American history. “We the People is a national program centered on the Constitution and citizenship,” said Perruso, “So it involves the curriculum that introduces constitutional principles and the history and philosophy and philosophical foundations of the Constitution.”

As practice makes perfect, the team has dedicated many hours in the preparation of the We the People competition. “When I joined AP (Government), I didn’t even think about We the People until January, which ultimately led to lots of procrastination,” said Senior Daniel Smith, “But that’s what our class excels at.”

Winning the state competition didn’t come easily, but their hard work paid off. “I didn’t think they’d win,” said Perruso, “The night before (the competition), we stayed here really late practicing and stuff. And Unit Three, the first two questions they were great on. And then the third question was about gun control and I was liake, ‘Oh, that’s a stupid question, we’re not even going to practice that one because it’s a stupid question and why would they even ask that?’ And they asked that question, and my heart just sank all the way to the floor. But they still pulled it off, and they were totally unprepared for that question.”

The AP Government students credit their success to Perruso and teamwork. “Knowing that I have a whole team to help me is great and really helps with the stress,” said Smith, “Having a tremendously dedicated teacher like Dr. Perruso is a really lucky thing that I am really grateful for.”

Perruso and her class of AP Government students are currently preparing for the national competition which will take place in Washington D.C. at George Mason University from April 25 to 28.