Queens High School Wins State "We The People" Competition

Related Media

Forest Hills High

ALBANY, NY (03/07/2014)(readMedia)-- Forest Hills High School in Queens is the statewide champion of the "We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution" competition, the national academic contest on the U.S. Constitution.

This is the second year in a row Forest Hills High School won the competition. The team will represent New York in the national finals to be held in Virginia and Washington, D.C. from April 25-28. Social studies teacher Tara Kelly is the team coach.

Students spent months preparing for their roles as experts testifying on constitutional issues in the simulated congressional hearings. Judges rated the students on their knowledge of the Constitution and their ability to relate current events and court cases to constitutional principles. Questions for this year's competition were on the Federalist Papers, constitutional issues involving privacy, and immigration policy.

The other state semi-finalists were: Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills; Smithtown High School West, Smithtown; James Madison High School, Brooklyn; Shenendehowa High School, Clifton Park; and Westfield Academy and Central School, Westfield.

Congressman Chris Gibson of New York was the guest speaker at the event held on March 1.

The New York State Bar Association's Law, Youth and Citizenship Program (LYC) sponsors the state We the People program. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, it annually reaches more than 5,000 teachers and tens of thousands of school children through its We the People, Mock Trial Competition, Mock Trial Summer Institute and teacher-training programs.

The 75,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in 1876.

-30-