LAUREL — A group of 14 students from Laurel High School are heading to Washington, D.C., this week to compete in the "We the People" national civics competition after winning the Montana state title in January.
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The seniors from Dan Gatley’s Honors Civics course have spent the entire year preparing for this moment, sharpening their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution in a competition that puts both their academic understanding and teamwork skills to the test.
“I think it's an invaluable program for kids. They get to collaborate. They get to disagree with each other come to a consensus and then be able to show what they do in front of a good group of judges," said Gatley.
The competition is not a typical quiz contest. Instead, it is an in-depth, interactive format where students engage in debates, defend their ideas, and answer questions posed by judges on various topics related to the U.S. government, constitutional principles, and modern-day politics. The students are broken up into 6 units, with each covering a different topic. They must present information regarding the topic within the allotted 4-minute time frame, and are then afterwards asked 1 of 3 possible questions about the unit from a panel of judges.
"We try and delve as deep into it as we can so then we're not looking like everyone else with the same basic answers, and then we have a follow-up question where we close our books and we just talk to our judges and explain to them whatever questions they have," said student Sophia Mattson.
"It's really just a long conversation about a specific topic with American history or modern politics," added Alexander Bergman, another student.
The information practiced and learned over the school year has become valuable for many students in the course.
"I, for one, did not know a lot when I first joined this class, but when I did join it and I learned more, I was like, 'Wow, this is really interesting stuff,' and it's just not talked about enough in my opinion," said student Alexandria Monger.
The camaraderie and opportunity to learn and grow from each other have also been rewarding.
“This just furthers a very connecting environment with your peers in there, so it's just you have to rely on one another," said student Manni Alvarez.
"I'm really impressed with everybody's ability to collaborate with each other and to hear each other out on all of their different opinions on things and to still come together and be a cohesive team even if we don't share the same views on every issue,” added Bergman.
All of their hard work came to fruition back in January when the group won the "We the People" state title in Helena. Competing against teams from Stevensville and Glacier, they placed first in each unit, completely sweeping the competition.
“It was like the entire crowd just like started cheering for Laurel," recalled Alvarez.
"It is just really rewarding to know that all the hard work we put into it paid off," added student Hannah Vincent.
Laurel's win qualified them for the national competition in Washington D.C. in April where they will compete alongside 62 other teams from across the United States.
“They told us we're the underdog, so we're not quite sure how that's going to go, but we did good here. I don't see why we can't do that there," said Mattson.
Their victory and national qualification marks a significant milestone for Mr. Gatley, who is leading his first-ever team to nationals after four years of teaching the course.
“It's an honor to teach them. They are so much more smarter than I am and you know I'm blown away that the things that they are able to show me, it’s pretty neat," said Gatley.
“It's a big honor to be his first team that has gone to nationals. Seeing his face at the state competition and how excited he was, it made it worth it in the end," said Monger, sharing Gatley's sentiment.
The class knows there are challenges ahead at a larger stage, but is eager to compete. Regardless of the outcome, the students believe they have already won something valuable: a deeper understanding of the Constitution, how to critically assess the patterns, and apply them to modern-day issues.
“You could have a belief, but this class really forces you to back it up," said Vincent. “A lot of the debates presently like they seem new, but they're really just continuations of the same ideals. The same things have been debated for hundreds of years.”
"You just get it online and you're like, 'You know what, I believe that's what I'm going to follow it,' but being in this class, you learn about all that stuff and then you start to think, 'What if that's not true? What if that's not right?' And so you start to challenge these ideas that people have. You start to form your own beliefs on things," added Monger.
As Mr. Gatley reflects on the journey, he is proud of the students’ growth, not just in their knowledge of civics, but in their ability to tackle challenges with confidence.
The "We the People" competition may be about constitutional knowledge, but for these students, the experience has already given them a strong foundation in critical thinking, collaboration, and confidence that will last a lifetime.
"It takes kids a little bit out of their comfort level and I think it's important to take kids out of their comfort level, be able to speak in front of people," said Gatley. "There's going to be a lot of things down their road that they don't want to do or they're afraid to do. They can look back on this and say why I did this. I could handle this next thing."
“To go to D.C. but not only that, like to represent Montana, I'm just really excited to have that opportunity and that honor," said Vincent.
