Blake High School Students Showcase Knowledge of Constitution at District 8 We the People Simulated Congressional Hearing

On December 13, 2012, 32 students at James Hubert Blake High School showcased their knowledge of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, politics, law, citizenship and current events at the District 8 We the People Simulated Congressional Hearing.   In their first year competing in 2011-12, the team won the state-level competition and represented Maryland in the national competition in Washington DC. This year as well, after advancing past the district level competition, the 2012-13 team heads into the state competition in February and hopes to represent Maryland again, with eyes on returning to the national stage.

With guest judges including Councilwoman Nancy Floreen, Board of Education member Michael Durso, and representation from Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s office, students were questioned during two rounds of testimony.  As one of the team captains reflected, “This is more than a class, it is a team and not only are we learning how everything event relates back to our Constitutional government, we are also learning ehat it is like to work with each other and learn from each other.” Another student stated after the district-level hearing “I am so excited for States and hopefully Nationals. I know more now than I ever thought possible about how our government works and I can’t wait to show it all again and again for the judges at each level.”