Matt's Basic Life & Occasional Adventure: Mr Rigby Goes to Washington

We The People: SV Team Gears up for Constitution Contest in D.C.

SMITHFIELD - For We the People team members at Sky View High School, the days are filled with talk of Supreme Court cases, federalism and separation of powers, among other things.

In February, Sky View's team won We the People on the state level for the fourth year in a row and now, it is preparing for nationals. The team will compete the last week of April in Washington, D.C., with hopes of placing in the top 20, and maybe even landing in the top 10.

"I think it would be a lot of fun to break Top 10. I would hope that we could maybe get close," said 18-year-old Katelin Gines.

Advisor Mike Rigby said Sky View placed 18th in the nation last year. No Utah team has ever placed among the first 10, he said.

Rigby said he would argue that We the People is the "most rigorous" academic competition in the nation. The program challenges students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, he said, adding that students have to prove their understanding in a forum much like congressional committee hearings.

He said he has a great group of students who are working hard because they love to learn.

"They live, eat and breathe this stuff," Rigby said. "They really do."

The students said that to prepare for We the People competitions, they arrive at school early, leave late in the afternoon and continue their studies at home.

"We put a lot of time into it," said Gines, as she and fellow team members discussed the different materials they study.

At each participating school, We the People participants are divided into six units, Rigby said, and each unit prepares responses to three questions. He said when students compete, they don't know which question they will be asked.

Sky View competed in district- and state-level competitions. Student Matt Orme, 17, said that at state, there were two schools competing from each of the three congressional districts in Utah. Mountain Crest, which is also a major competitor in the state, took second in Utah this year.

At nationals, the group will have four minutes to present their response, Rigby said, and their presentation will be followed by six minutes of open questions. Students will be questioned by three judges, Rigby said.

Units at Sky View are working on their responses for the national questions now. Gines, Orme, Jessica Murdock and Jessica Swenson are members of unit four. They said they are nervous and excited to compete in nationals.

Murdock, 17, said, "I'm a nervous wreck." The best preparation, she said, is knowledge.

There will be two days of competition in D.C. If Sky View makes it into the top 10, its team will be invited to stay for a third day and compete on the Senate floor in the U.S. Capitol, Gines said.

But, to the We the People participants, it's more than the outcome of the competition. Swenson said one of the best parts of being involved is getting to know other team members.