EASTHAMPTON — Knowledge of the U.S. Constitution is taking local students to the nation’s capital.
Students from Easthampton High School won the state “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” competition in January in Boston, hosted by the Center for Civic Education. From April 27 to May 1, they will compete in the national finals in Washington, D.C.
“We’re excited to represent Easthampton and the state,” said Kelley Brown, a longtime history and government teacher at EHS.
Brown has organized a team to compete in the competition for the past eight years. In 2012, the school went to nationals and placed 23rd out of 56 schools.
“We’re hoping to do better this time,” Brown said.
This school year, she’s had a separate “We the People” semester course geared toward preparing for the competition. Local attorneys Stephen Linsky and Nancy Sykes have also helped out. Now that the course is over and students are moving on to the finals, they find time during independent study periods and after school to prepare.
Students study case law ranging from core cases such as the Brown v. Board of Education and Marbury v. Madison, in which the courts decide whether laws are constitutional or not, to more current cases including Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, where the shop refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.
Students said they also read newspapers to keep up to date with current events. Even the show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” has helped out. Students say the political commentator and comedian is informative and recently made some good points in an episode about gerrymandering.
For the competition, the 21 students are broken into six groups for each unit, which includes philosophical and historical foundations of the American political system, creation of the Constitution, and protections of the Bill of Rights. Each group is asked one of three questions where they have a prepared statement. Then they have six minutes to answer unprepared questions.
During the state competition, senior Dillan Wilson, 17, said his group was asked what limits on speech, if any, should be enforced on high school or college campuses? Any speech that would cause imminent danger, he said.
Since studying the Constitution, most of the students are now interested in pursuing law and political science in college, like junior Aidan Chappuis, 17, who has been interested in environment and is now looking into studying environmental law.
The team needs $35,000 to pay for the travel expenses. To fund the trip, students have planned various fundraisers such as a Battle of the Bands set for March 31, at 7 p.m., at the high school and a petting zoo with pony rides March 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Heritage Farm, 30 Florence Road. Throughout this week, participating Easthampton restaurants are donating a portion of their proceeds to the EHS team.
On Wednesday, Galaxy at 60 Main St. will be donating a portion of their dinner proceeds. On Thursday, Corsello Butcheria, at 130 Cottage St., will donate a portion of the proceeds from the entire day and Burger King will be donate from its dinner proceeds.
“We’re fortunate to have Easthampton as a community,” Brown said.
To donate to the go to http://www.gofundme.com/ehswethepeople2018 or donations can be made directly to the school addresses to Kelley Brown, 70 Williston Ave.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.