VWHS does best ever at ‘We the People’

VW independent/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Van Wert High School did the best it ever has during Friday’s “We the People” competition at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, finishing with a score of 2,944 out of a possible 3,480 points — the most a Van Wert team has ever scored. VWHS students finished second in the competition to perennial winner Findlay High School, which scored 3,187 points.

“I was so very impressed with our students today,” said first-year advisor Jeff Kallas. “This is my first year teaching this subject and I’ll be honest: I have never seen an academic achievement like this!

“These students can sit down with some of the best law professors and attorneys in the state of Ohio and develop a position on a topic, support it, and then inform these professionals why their position is the right one,” Kallas added. “It’s fascinating and so very rewarding.”

Kallas also had good things to say about the Findlay team, which is led by Findlay High School teacher (and Middle Point mayor) Mark Dickman.

“Findlay has a great reputation and Mark has been so helpful, but they are a school of 2,000 students and we have 550,” he said.

The competition features six individual units and, as a rule, each school can only win one unit award, while an overall champion is then selected based on points accumulated during the competition.

Van Wert’s outstanding unit award was for Unit 1, which focused on “Philosophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System.” Unit 1 competitors for VWHS included Shianne Baldwin, Hayley Bradford, Hailey Crawford, Ashlynn Friesner, and Haley Richardson.

Kallas complimented all the VWHS students who participated in Friday’s competition, noting that many hours were spent practicing for the event.

“Most of these students are involved in other academic and athletic programs, and perform at the highest level in all their classes,” he said. “In fact, we had a student have her mother drive her down after her basketball game last night, and two boys leave today just as soon as they were done because they have a basketball game tonight.”

There were two rounds of competition during the “We the People” event, and five questions asked, along with bullet points for each question. Students have 4 minutes to give a prepared response to each questions asked, with judges having 6 minutes to ask additional questions related to the original question.

Questions range from asking for historical and contemporary examples, solutions to problems, and explanations for how things have changed, and/or why they existed.