Overlake's AP Government Class is Headed to National Competition

Heidi Wilbrandt’s AP Government class is getting a lesson in civics from a front-row seat! The class just competed in the We the People state competition in Olympia, earning second place in the school’s inaugural year. “Because we won second place we received one of three wild card bids in the nation to go to Nationals in D.C.,” says Wilbrandt.

Overlake’s team will compete with 55 other teams during two full days of competition in Washington D.C. the week of April 27th. If they place in the top ten, they go on to the final competition to be held in the House of Representatives hearing rooms in the Capitol building.

Wilbrandt is asking for help in our parent and alumni community to get our students ready for the next level of competition. “What we need is that next level of questioning and that next level of helping students draw connections between broader ideas, so any parent that has any background in any type of law would be helpful,” explains Wilbrandt. “We need adults to act as that panel to challenge and prepare the students and then provide feedback.”

Each of the three-person teams prepare a four-minute argument on a topic in government, such as constitutional theory, statutory law and case law. They then read their statement to a panel of judges that include lawyers, politicians, federal and state judges, professors and government officials. After their statement is read the panel will ask questions that probe into the students' understanding of the law and government.

“It’s a real-world application of their knowledge,” says Wilbrandt, who’s participated in the We the People program at other schools where she’s taught. “The whole idea of the We the People program is about civic virtue, so developing students that can engage in their civic duties, but also demonstrate that civil discourse and that civic virtue that the founders would hope permeate every aspect of our society.”  

Wilbrandt also recognizes that a by-product of this competition is developing civic-minded individuals who will soon become voting members of society. “I tell my kids pretty regularly your vote is going to count just as much as mine so I want your vote to be as informed and thought-out and researched as it possibly can be so you make the decision that’s going to be the best for the common good.”

Nationals will be held from April 27-May 1 in Washington D.C. If you are interested in helping with the practice panel of judges, please contact Heidi Wilbrandt at hwilbrandt@overlake.org.