For more information, please contact:
Dee Runaas, Project Director
drunaas@kentlaw.iit.edu | 312.906.5255
PRESS RELEASE
We the People Teams Chosen to Represent Illinois at National Finals in Civics Competition
CHICAGO, January 13, 2025—The Constitutional Democracy Project is pleased to announce that teams from Maine South High School and St. Joseph-Ogden High School will be representing Illinois at the We the People National Finals.
The high school teams competed in simulated congressional hearings on January 10 as part of the We the People national program, which promotes civic competence and responsibility among youth. Students testify as constitutional experts in front of a panel of judges acting as congressional committees. The judges ask the students questions to assess their knowledge of constitutional principles and their ability to apply these principles to historical and current issues.
The questions students tackled in the state hearings this year include: “What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-First Century?” “How has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence?” “What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect?” “How Have the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices?” “What Are the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System?” and “How Did the Framers Create the Constitution?”
Maine South High School will represent Illinois as the state champion, St. Joseph-Ogden High School as the runner-up, wild card at the We the People: The Citizen and Constitution National Finals, April 9–11, 2025.
“I am so proud that Illinois will have two We the People schools competing at the national finals,” says Dee Runaas, project director for the CDP. “Our democracy is fragile, and it is critical that our next generation of leaders has a solid understanding of the Constitution. Listening to high school students demonstrate their knowledge of constitutional principles and current issues—especially in the wake of the January 6 overtaking of the U.S. Capitol—gives me hope for the future of our democracy.”
The We the People program is a project of the Center for Civic Education and is administered in Illinois by the Constitutional Democracy Project at Chicago-Kent College of Law. The CDP offers high-quality, hands-on civics education programs and teaching materials focused on the Constitution, law, and policy for middle school and high school students and their teachers.
# # #
About Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology
Founded in 1888, Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. For more information, visit www.kentlaw.iit.edu.
