THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 z
Page A-15
IN T H E HO T SE AT
Blake High students grilled during mock congressional hearings BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Three students in business attire sat together one morning last week at a table cloaked in plastic sheets with U.S. flag designs. Facing a panel of five judges, the students were serious and focused on the Magna Carta’s influence on modern constitutionalism. The three James H. Blake High School students were one of six team units from the school who testified Dec. 4 in simulated congressional hearings on topics ranging from the U.S. political system’s philosophical and historical foundations to the challenges American constitutional democracy might face in the 21st century. Just as congressional hearings allow Congress members to question experts to gather information, the hearings at Blake allowed the students to demonstrate their knowledge of politics, law and government and their ability to link different topics. The high school students will face other Maryland school teams participating in the Center for Civic Education’s We the People program and, potentially, teams from across the country. In each of the 12 hearings on Dec. 4, the teams of three to five students began with four minutes of prepared statements on their topic question. Then the judges — board of education members, state delegates, lawyers and others — fired additional questions related to the topic for six minutes. Without any notes to help, the students must think on their feet to answer the questions. “They’re college-level questions. They’re very intense,” said Donna Phillips, who teaches and coaches the group of about 23 students. The judges “push the kids to really test the depths of their knowledge.” Students in the program work with Phillips in her Global Issues and the Law class. The team is divided into six groups, with each working on a particular topic. Phillips used to run the program at Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville and took it with her when she arrived at Blake in Silver Spring several years ago. At the local level of the competition — which pits schools in the same congressional district against each other — Blake did not have any competition this year, so last week’s scores were for only the teams’ use. The school’s team has won the state competition and gone on to the national competition the last two years. Emerson Sirk, 16, a junior at Blake, said it is “kind of like a rush” when students face questions from the judges. His team, which focuses on issues related to the Bill of Rights, is “always practicing,” he said, and the hearing questions require a lot of research. “You never know what you may need,” Sirk said. During his team’s first hearing at last week’s session, the students answered a series of questions they came up with answers for on the spot, including whether they thought for-profit cor-
PHOTOS BY GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Students (from left) Lexxus Ransom, 16, Hercia Alvarado-Gomez, 17, Emerson Sirk, 16, and Francesca Sabelhaus, 16, make their presentaion to judges about the Bill of Rights during simulated congressional hearings Dec. 4 at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring.
Students Estefania Perez (left), 17, and Greyson Boone, 17, listen to feedback from judges after their presentaion on the history of changes to the Constitution in relation to the Declaration of Independence.
Jason Ross (left) of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University offers feedback to students who made presentations during the simulated hearings. porations should have the same rights as individuals. Phillips said she sees the students become more aware and active citizens and become more articulate. For Francesca Sabelhaus, another 16-year-old junior, the hearings can be “really nerve-wracking.” Her team prepares with the help of Phillips and
through outside work that includes late nights editing speeches. Sabelhaus said she picked the Bill of Rights as her hearing topic because of its broad scope. “You draw in examples from all over the place,” she said. Bruce Goldensohn — a former Gaitherburg mayor and former school
board member — has been a hearing judge multiple times over the years. He said he sees students gain important knowledge from the program, including how to be involved in local politics. State Del. Sam Arora (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring said he threw out some difficult questions to help the students — whom he called “exceedingly sophisticated” — prepare for future competitions. “You feel for them,” he said. “I think we all want
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them to succeed, but no one wants to go easy on them.” School board member Michael A. Durso said the students were well prepared. Some seemed unnerved at first, but became more at ease throughout the hearings. “If nothing else, it forces them and their classes to look at something the average teenager isn’t interested in,” Durso said. lpowers@gazette.net