The Sheridan High School We the People team earned second place at their state competition February 4 in Laramie.

The We the People program is an academic competition that measures a student’s understanding of the US Constitution. AP Government students were broken up into six units. Each unit gives a four minute speech and is then given six minutes of questions chosen by a three panel judge.

The AP Government class prepared for this event from the first week of school until the February event. This involved writing several essays and researching. “We were researching topics from President Lincoln’s Inaugural Address to President Obama’s most recent Inaugural Address,” said Junior Tyler Julian.

“This is five months of work for this culminating event,” said Government teacher Tyson Emborg. The government class met before school, after school and during weekends to prepare for the competition.

One of the units was asked about the foundations of the United States Constitution. Another unit was asked about the application of the Constitution in today’s changing world. “We talked about immigration and a return to the founding principles,” said Julian. Unit one received the high score for the school.

“Receiving second place was pretty remarkable given the tough competition,” said Emborg. The Sheridan High School team lost to Cheyenne Central by a slim margin.

“This is one of the best teams we have had from Sheridan High School. They received a lot of praise from the judges for the high quality of their research as well as the way they articulate their understanding of the Constitution,” added Emborg.

Although the team was striving for first place, the Sheridan High School We The People team was proud of their accomplishment. “We had a very strong team. We had a lot kids that at the start were not as strong as they thought they could be but in the end did amazing. We were really proud of our second place,” said Julian.

According to students that participated in the competition, We the People gives students a thorough understanding the Constitution and its principles. “America isn’t about being a Republican or Democrat. It’s really about being an American,” said Julian.

“It is really important to understand how our government works,” said Senior Meghan Jacobs.

Representative Berger from Sheridan County and other members of our local delegation helped pass legislation last year that funded the We the People program for the state of Wyoming. On Feb. 4, at a luncheon, Berger was recognized for her work.