On Wednesday, January 24, students enrolled in American Public Policy Special Emphasis (APPSE) at Wauwatosa West and Wauwatosa East High Schools competed in the Center for Civic Education’s state “We The People” constitutional competition.
Due to weather conditions, this year's competition, originally scheduled at Kent Law School in Chicago, was held via Zoom. Wauwatosa West won the state championship for the 16th time, while Wauwatosa East’s performance earned the team a wild card entry into the national competition.
“We are incredibly proud of the performances exhibited by our APPSE students from both Wauwatosa West and East High Schools,” said Dr. Demond Means, Superintendent of the Wauwatosa School District. “Their hard work truly paid off in the state competition, and we are excited to see them demonstrate their civics knowledge at the national level this spring. We wish our students the best of luck.”
Since summer 2023, APPSE students at West participated in rigorous practice for the state and national competitions, beginning with a class taught by Chad Mateske, Wauwatosa West social studies teacher.
Similarly, East's 16 APPSE students, supported by their teacher Michael Aronow and six teaching assistants, dedicated more than 3,000 hours to practice sessions. Topics of discussion included the constitutionality of school book bans, the impact of the Bill of Rights on international constitutional protections, and the influence of the Protestant Reformation on political thought and governance in colonial America, among others.
Students from both schools will participate in the 2024 National Finals held in Washington, D.C. from April 13 to 15, 2024.
To learn more about the Center for Civic Education’s “We the People” program, please visit https://www.civiced.org/we-the-people/faq.