2025 We the People National Finals Awards Ceremony Program
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings Posterity,ourselves and establish National Finals
April 9–11, 2025
We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the Blessings of Liberty to and our Posterity, do ordain and
Sponsors
The support of our generous sponsors makes this invaluable experience possible for students across the nation. Join us in thanking them.
Silver Event Sponsor
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings Posterity,ourselves and
Connected Communities Sponsors
For more information regarding sponsorships and how you can support the Center and its mission, please contact Director of Advancement, Mara Tolas at tolas@civiced.org. Or scan this QR code to make a donation online.
Special Thanks
The Center would like to extend a special thanks to Grand Classroom for collaborating with us throughout the year to provide a quality experience for all who attend the National Finals.
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For Teaching America’s Founding Principles & Histor y
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Letter to the Students
April 11, 2025
Dear We the People Students:
Congratulations on your outstanding achievement in reaching the national finals of the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program! Your significant accomplishment of qualifying for this competition is the direct result of the many hours of individual study and teamwork you put in with your classmates and teachers. Your superior performance is also a testament to the commitment and support of your families, communities, and coaches. No matter how your team places, your accomplishments over the next few days are just the tip of the iceberg.
Through your hard work, preparation, and exploration of the depths of our American constitutional history, the deep understanding of the fundamental principles and values of our constitutional democracy and our system of government you have gained is incomparable. We do not doubt that as you continue your studies and life paths, you will make a great impact on our government and in your communities, no matter your ultimate vocation in life. Your We the People experience and learning will always be the foundation of who you are as a citizen and participatory member of society.
While not perfect, the experiment of the Constitution and the United States has remained viable and powerful. We hope that through this program, you have discovered your role in “We the People” and will remain an agent of civic education in our constitutional democracy. You are the future of democracy and of our nation. This program is dedicated to you and your teachers.
In service,
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
Dr. Donna Phillips President & Chief Executive Officer Center for Civic Education
P.S. Do not understimate the power of your experience. Once a We the People student, always a We the People student. Join the Alumni Network today and connect with We the People alum across the world.
We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the Blessings of Liberty to and our Posterity, do ordain and
Board of Directors
Officers
Pauline Weaver Chairperson Alameda County Public Defender's Office (Retired)
Timothy D. Moore
Vice Chairperson
Deputy Director for Outreach and Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Members-at-Large
Henry L. Chambers, Jr. Professor, University of Richmond School of Law
Cheryl Cook-Kallio
California State Coordinator, We the People and Project Citizen
Garima Desai
Sustainability Manager, Samsung Semiconductor; We the People Program Alum
Erin Lewis Executive Director, Center for Innovation & Change; We the People Program Alum
Terry Mason Moore
General Counsel, Office of the Chief of Osage Nation
Daniel M. Murphy
Senior Technical Specialist, Democracy International
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings Posterity,ourselves and
Mark Ritacco
Treasurer
Chief Government Affairs Officer, National Association of Counties; We the People Program Alum
Clara Slifkin Secretary Attorney/Mediator, Department of Fair Employment and Housing (Retired)
Liza Prendergast
Vice President of Strategy and Technical Leadership, Democracy International; We the People Program Alum
Beth Ratway Senior Consultant, American Institutes for Research
Dr. Vicki Ross-Norris Teacher and Adjunct Professor (Retired)
Barbara J. Smith
Vice President of Peace Programs, Carter Center
Terri Stroud General Counsel, District of Columbia Board of Elections
Jonathan D. Varat Professor, University of California Los Angeles School of Law
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We the People of the in Order to form Union,
7:30–7:30 p.m. | Opening Music and Photo Montage
7:30 p.m. | Welcome & Presentation of the Colors
Dr. Donna Phillips, President & Chief Executive Officer Color Guard and Fife and Drum Corps
7:45 p.m. | National Anthem
Cameron Welch, North Smithfield High School, Rhode Island
7:50 p.m. | Opening Remarks
Dr. Donna Phillips, President & Chief Executive Officer
8:00 p.m. | Keynote Remarks
Julia Longoria, We the People Alumna; Host and Editorial Director for Vox
8:10 p.m. | Alumni Awards
Mara Tolas, Senior Director of Advancement
8:25 p.m. | Teacher Recognition
8:40 p.m. | Presentation of Awards | Division & Unit Awards
Pauline Weaver, Center Board Chairperson
Jonathan D. Varat, Center Board Member | Top-Ten Awards
Dr. Donna Phillips, President & Chief Executive Officer
9:25 p.m. | Closing Remarks
the United States, form
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National Final Awards
Units
. Unit 1: What Are the Philisophical and Historical Foundations of the American Political System?
. Unit 2: How Did the Framers Create the Constitution?
Awards will be presented to teams in three categories: Division, Unit, and Top-10.
Division Awards
Presented to the teams achieving the highest cumulative scores based on the first two days of the 38th Annual National Finals, in each of the four divisions (A-D). Divisions are composed in a way that balances teams based on prior team performance.
Unit Awards
Presented to the schools achieving the highest cumulative scores based on the first two days of the 38th Annual National Finals, in each of the six units of the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbook.
Top-10 Awards
Presented to the ten schools with the highest cumulative scores during the three days of competition.
Results
Results will be announced live on YouTube and at civiced.org/nationalfinals/livestream on Friday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET. All results will also be listed on civiced.org after the awards ceremony.
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. Unit 3: How Has the Constitution Been Changed to Further the Ideals Contained in the Declaration of Independence?
. Unit 4: How Have the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices?
. Unit 5: What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect?
. Unit 6: What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-First Century?
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
Past Winners
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
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Keynote Speaker
Julia Longoria
We the People class of 2009 Host and Editorial Director, Vox
Julia Longoria is an alumna of the We the People program and an award-winning audio journalist and writer. She has spent her career reporting, producing and hosting some of the most critically acclaimed audio documentaries for The New York Times, NPR, Radiolab, and The Atlantic Magazine. She competed on the Unit 5 panel for the State of Florida in 2009, and her team placed in the top ten. Her time in the We The People competition helped inspire her to build a career telling human stories about the law, which she did hosting More Perfect, the Radiolab spinoff about the Supreme Court, and The Experiment, the Atlantic's flagship weekly podcast about "our unfinished country." She's currently an editorial director and host for Vox.
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings Posterity,ourselves and
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We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
Alumni Awards
2025 We the People Alumni Network Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Yanesi Gonzalez
We the People class of 2015 Hialeah Gardens Senior High School (FL)
Yanesi Gonzalez is a dedicated student at the University of Miami pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with minors in Business Law, Psychology, and Spanish. With a 4.00 GPA and numerous academic accolades, including the President’s Honor Roll and Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar, she demonstrates a strong commitment to excellence.
Yanesi has extensive experience in legal, administrative, and leadership roles. As a Commuter Senator in the University of Miami Student Government, she advocates for over 6,000 commuter students and has spearheaded initiatives to enhance financial aid and transportation policies. She also serves as Vice President of Phi Alpha Delta, Pre-Law Fraternity, where she organizes professional development programs for aspiring legal professionals.
Beyond academics and work, Yanesi is passionate about mentorship, community involvement, and advocacy. She actively contributes to organizations such as Women of Tomorrow, where she mentors underprivileged female students, and has been recognized as a Silver Knight Awardee in Social Science for her dedication to community service.
With expertise in legal studies, event planning, and policy advocacy, Yanesi is committed to making a meaningful impact in law, government, and public service.
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Thank you to the We the People Alumni Network leaders, volunteers, as well as members of the Center’s Board of Directors’ who graciously gave of their time to review the nominations and make choose the recipients of these inaugural awards.
2025 We the People Alumni Network Cincinnatus Award
Alison Brody
We the People class of 1989 Lincoln High School (OR)
Alison was a member of Oregon’s 1989 state champion We the People team. She has degrees from Yale, Oxford, and the University of Washington School of Law.
Professionally, she practiced commercial litigation and education law in Portland, Oregon. More recently, she co-authored the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s 2021 report The State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History. Among other activities, Alison has served as a member of the Oregon Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, on the board of the Serendipity Center for at-risk youth, and as an executive committee member of the Yale Alumni Association’s Board of Governors.
She has been a volunteer coach for the Lincoln High School We the People team since 1999 and works with Civics Learning Project to give courthouse tours to local students.
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
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the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the Blessings of Liberty to and our Posterity, do ordain and
Classes
Arizona
Corona del Sol High School
Teacher: Alison Rund and Justine Centanni
Katelyn Chu, Emily Himes, Jack Hunter, Krystal Lee, Marguerite LeRoux, Ben Lewandowski, Leora Logvin, Haadhiya Mohammed, Rishabh Nampally, Paige Notbohm, Matthew Parsons, Zoe Schulz, Himanshu Shrestha, Juniper Shutters, Anna Stephens, Owen Strogen, Trevor Su, Arya Suresh, Lyndell Tanner, Alix Walker, Quinn Wang, Audra Ward
Denzel Aguirre, Kylee Alexander, John Bee, Nathan Chang, Emma Chen, Aaron Fan, Michelle Fan, Rijul Garg, Ellie Gladson-Pang, Lizzie Gladson-Pang, Yong-Lin Hu, Alessandra Ikeda, Annie Jiang, Ariel Lew, Jenny Liao, Ashley Lim, Kayley Nam, William Pan, Saanvi Sakthivel, Zachary Sakti, Gloria Shaw, Arion Togelang, Daniel Wang, Kai Wetterau, Steven Xu, Isabelle Zhao
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Classes
California (John Lewis Class)
Tennyson High School
Teacher: Javier Astorga, Charlie Jones, and Mark Ohlmann
Julia Arias, Trinity Baynes, Kacie Cheung, Alejandro Clemente Alvarado, Ashley Garay, Adrian Garcia, Jenisha Kapadia, Krishnil Kumar, Mayte Martinez, Eric Martinez, Enis Martinez Hernandez, Jessica Moreno-Velasco, Gabriel Ornelas Ibarra, Daisy Perez, Aaron Prasad, Anabelle Rocha, Julliana Ruiz, Ashley Yuriar
Colorado
East High School
Teacher: Mandy Hostetter
Veronica Barnard, Grant Cramer, Ollie Diehl, Cleo Epstein-Rhodes, Sophie Glanz, Audrey Goodman, Bridger Johnson, Preston Kang, Norah Krause, Sophia Landry, Andrew McPherson, Gavin Neale, Eva Nuber, Ainsley Oliver, Iris Osmulski, Fiona Perry, Jada Pulsipher, Teddy Rasmussen, Olivia Saavedra, Clara Taub, Jack Williams, Cora Wood, Reese Worrell, Leeza Zabarsky
Colorado (Wildcard)
Grandview High School
Teacher: Jason Kosanovich
Heidie Beisner, Kennedie Bird Bear, Naomi Frishman, Vincent Gagznos, Logan Hopper, Eliana Kahsai, Valay Kelkar, George Maurice, Kevin Schmidt, Nithilan Sendhil, Sky Swang
Connecticut
Trumbull High School
Teacher: Katie Boland
Isabella Cabral, Abigail Dayton, Ryley Filush, Irene George, Michael Hunter, Alaina Inzero, Skyla Lafaille, Jacob Levin, Brooke Levine, Nial Macintyre, Vanessa Maignan, Jiya Malhotra, Arshia Mamidanna, Rithik Manchanda, Joseph Melia, Catalina Mozzo, Sophia Pucci, Frederick Scinto, Luke Simon, Jaspreet Singh, Mason Sweeney, Amber Tesluk, Arpi Tikranian, Audrey Zelezniak Berezowski
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Classes
Connecticut (Wildcard)
Staples High School
Teacher: Suzanne Kammerman
Lila Boroujerdi, Kate Bulkeley, Lucas Ceballos-Cala, Olivia Cohn, Sofia Donroe, Gunnar Eklund, William Enquist, Kasey Feeley, Nolan Francis, Jay Hari, Hugo Jacques, Miles Kahn, Souleye Kebe, Aidan Lapatine, Ryder Levine, Graysen Peters, Andrew Rebello, Jack Robinson, Zara Saliba, Rei Seltzer, Jake Shufro, Alexander Sod
District of Columbia
National Cathedral School
Teachers: David Sahr
Angela Shekoyan, Emily Jia, Jane Parker, Sarah Oler, Lissy Dean, Cybil Sternhell, Mazie O’Neil, Norah Madan, Sophia Reilly, Payton Wyler, Aidan Engel, Andrea I, Ava Johnson, Brittany Engel, Layla Hajj, Addie Carter, Ayomi Mukerjee, Katherine Kline, Maddie Lamoureux, Nora Porter, Caroline Burg, Eleanor Powell, Franny Leahy, Sammy Afnan, Vivian Porter, Emma Stifel, Meri Rose Garnett, Neha Kumar, Sofia Hall, Rylea Whitfield
Florida Hialeah Gardens Senior High School
Teacher: Derrick Johnson
Isabel Alfonso, Genesis Cordero, Sophia De La Cruz, Giselle Galarraga, Camil González, Isabella Luquez, Yoan Martinez, Melanie Montalvan, Andrea Morales, Mariam Moreira, Sabrina Navarro, Abrahamn Nieves, Kaylle Perez, Kimberly Perez, Lorena Perez, Melanie Perez-Garcia, Melanie Portillo, Cira Rojas, Jayko Ruiz, Steven Santana, Adrian Socorro, Alexa Tapanes, Catalina Valido
Florida (Wildcard)
Nova High School
Teacher: Kristin
Murphy and Will Murphy
Sofia Aguilar, Ava Alvarez, Gregory Anderson, Sofia Arenas, Aayan Baig, Carly Brown, Isaac Comeau, Cassiana Cothiere, Dylan Florestal, Alexander Glebov, Brianna Harnarrine, Cymara Harris, Chloe Haygood, Sam Jean, Summer Johnkins, Cynthia Lavin, Asher Lozin, Joshua Milfort, Maya Mirza, Bentellys Mosley, Kari Thompson-Hayes, Aniya Williams
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
and establish
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
Classes
Illinois
Maine South High School
Teachers: Leah Politi, Kevin Hansen, and Andrew Trenkle
Hasan Al-Khalidi, Alessandro Allegrini, Jimmy Bies, Juliana Careaga, Natalie Causevic, Charlotte Chapman, Anna Chukurov, Kate Dunleavy, Sydney Fraley, Brianna Giustino, Eliza Goldwasser, Addison Greenhill, Charlotte Hartung, Thomas Hurley, Ava Jurek, AJ Liss, Hayden Magad, Eddie Malling, Aidan Micek, Maris Muellner, Samantha O'Leary, Maeve Rafferty, Ryan Schoenstedt, Maggie Sheehan, Olivia Skora, Katarzyna Szul, Helena Tabares, Michael Tegethoff
Illinois (Wildcard)
St. Joseph-Ogden High School
Teacher: Marshall Schacht and Don Beckett
Will Besson, Sul Bonny, Arely Castro-Gutierrez, Luke Ditchfield, Jackson Ennis, Lauren Harris, Amilliya Kindle, Sonia Patel, Haley Rudolph, Audrey Ruppel, Charley Wright, Fifi Xiao
Indiana
Plainfield High School
Teacher: Adam Ferguson and Robbie Pelkey
Tajweed Altower, Colin Arney, Hristos Arvanitis, Jocelyn Avilez, Jared Beasley, Kylee Davis, Lincoln DePrez, Xander DiGuilio, Elijah Eckroth, Chad Gibson, Avery Guth, Derek Hartman, Joshua Johnson, Adam Jones, Noah Karam, Eliza Kuehn, Stone Kyger, Nick McClure, Maxwell Payton, Faatimah Raina, Brenley Sanders, Derek Schafhauser, Jenna Singleton, William Taylor
Indiana (Wildcard)
Fishers High School
Teacher: Liz Paternoster and Matt Follmann
Mina Mehic, Delaney Gamble, Jenna Talbot, Gurvir Grewal, Ethan McKinney, Lee Balkcom, Jillian Murray, Sarah Tirloni Barreros, Anna Wilson, Audrey Kixmiller, Katie Wise, Perla Perez, Loren Rummel, Ayanna Bodake
establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
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Classes
Kentucky
Highlands High School
Teacher: Megan Boimann-Hennies
Marshall Anstaett, Marcus Bohan, Allette Broomall, Liam Delaney, Kate Fausz, Adelaide Foley, Joseph Frost, Addison Greene, Max Hamilton, Sophia Hamilton, Lilly Hug, Lainey Kuhn, Alex Lancaster, Jack Langlinais, Oliver Martin, Sylvie Martin, Evy Meyn, Somfe Nzekwu, Eva Sarakatsannis, Annelle Scully, Emma Stevens, Shreya Vaghela, Em Varland
Maryland
Boonsboro High School
Teacher: Ashley Vascik
Caleb Athanas, Hailey Ballantine, Gavin Bushati, Eliza Byrd, Nate Dickinson, Liv Gorman, Stephen Hartz, Lauren Hornbaker, Zach Kennedy, Kyle Matthews, Caralee McGivney, Skylynn Mentzer, Naomi Mojibola, Zoe Owens, Neilson Parrott, Aly Phillips, Abby Rankin, Carys Reichard, Trenten Spencer, Noah Tedards, Colin Telemeco, Landon Waters, Jackson Burker, Noah Chu, Anna Jackson, Mischa Slattery, Abby Smith, Alivia Taylor
Massachusetts
Easthampton High School
Teachers: Kelley Brown and Taylor Dadmun
Michael Bachmann-Baez, Iyana Cooper-Baez, Logan Crasnick, Brody Donovan, Kyleigh Dorman, Seth Durant, Aiden Favorite, Ryan Guyette Jr., Leia Halfacre, Anthony Incampo, Jeromy Lovern, Julianne Markee, Leila Mateo, Oliver Oparowski, Aastha Patel, Krish Patel, Lilliana Santiago, Morgan Wijnhoven, Oscar Zagorski, Jackson Scott, Devin O'Brien, Grace Pappadellis, Mayuri Gupta, Christopher Gallagher, Roman PowersMoran, Ethan Mullaly, Sophie Slaghekke, Hailey Siv, Addison Barr, Yug Patel, Samuel Barr
Michigan
Pioneer High School
Teacher: Alex Constantelos
Buturo Bartolomei, Rose Bembenek, Vivien Ceccacci, Isaiah Clifton, Maeve Coffman, Sydney Cortina, Cara Gilbert, Oleksandr Gladunin, Kateryna Kharchenko, Emma Khuu, Arthur Lopatin, Audrey Martin, Adeline Munson, Owen Murdock, Jude Mys, Clara Paulson, Peyton Peters, Jessica Primus, Gabriella Revzen, Avery Samford, Ivo Saran, Jayla Thomas, Leah Zhu
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
and establish
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
Classes
Michigan (Wildcard)
East Grand Rapids High School
Teacher: Adam Horos and Pierre Sirois
Alan Alagoz, Adeline Armstrong, Clare Assaf, John Barnes, Jack Bishop, Samuel Brundin, Oliver Chu, Harry Cornell, Jackson Deane, Helen Engbers, Charles Ferguson, Ezra Fechtner, Claire Jones, Miles Lou, Asher Pereira, Luci Perez-Simons, Tanyon Sanders, Tyler VanKuiken, Fionnoula Walsh, Nolan Williamson, Zack Wurl, Rowan Zylstra
Montana
Laurel High School
Teacher: Dan Gatley
Manni Alvarez Holt, Abby Barnes, Alexander Bergman, Brennen Corey, Evelynn Jeide, Brooke Kildahl, Aaron Larson, Levi Love, Sophia Mattson, Mason Mickelson, Alex Monger, Reegan Nagy, Aubri Roth, Hannah Vincent
Nebraska
Lincoln East & Lincoln Southwest High Schools
Teacher: Michaela Schleicher, Ryan Salem, and Kevin Rippe
Nusrat Amin, Abena Bonsu, Ayla Brosman, Gabriel Buggi, Sarah Cai, Nathan Casper, Devin Erickson, Khoi Le, Nicholas Li, Elizabeth Mason, Alexandra Meyer, Aidan Murphy, Kashish Nangia, Elaine Yu, Poppy Brown, Brooklyn Bruggeman, Abby Cooper, Brooklyn Engelman, Kasch Faustman, Jada Frank, Brandon Hansen, Mary Beth Hart, Anja Leggett, Jack McCormick, Paige Pomajzl, Benjamin Quattrocchi, Gray Salem, Noah Smith, Nathanael Taylor, Katie Timmer, Eagan Tyrrell
Nevada
Reno High School
Teacher: Richard Clark
Spiros Anastassatos, Selina Chen, Kristin Clawson, Ella Gold, Kathryn Goode, Maxwell Harper, Luke Helmholz, Sierra Hsu, Melis Kavlicoglu, Lana Kim, Sawyer King, Alexis Krakora, Casey Kuang, Delilah Kuhl, Asha Maryott, Maricela Nava, Haley Norby, Martin Peralta, Sydney Porter, Zachary Quade, Grace Rockwell, Cruz Smith, Ava Thompson, Lillian Thompson, Mia Tsiopos, Andrew Zhang
establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
of Liberty to and our
do ordain and
Classes
Nevada (Wildcard)
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
Teachers: Joseph Juliano and Trey Takahashi-Brummer
Ella Abilar, Philipos Alebachew, Maximillan Aller, Reid Bracken, Alejandro Chavez-Ruiz, William Deng, Ethan Evarts, Olivia Gallardo, Yeabsira Hailu, Emily Jian, Anganell Johnson, Emma Kodjanian, Alexis Lee, Allee Lin, Travis McGinnis, Jeneray Navarrete-Pak, Victor Pedzik, Brian Price, Paulina Sanchez, Monica Sarkisian, Nathaniel Scherschel, Phoebe Schreiber, Margaret Sheridan, Loralei Smith-Xiong, Bethlehem Teshome
New Hampshire
Hollis Brookline High School
Teachers: Trevor Duval
Colin Allen, Owen Beaudette, Jacob Brien, Finn Brown, Anika Carlson, Angela Enright, Connor Farnum, Ronan Finnegan, Daniel Frixione, Paul Gehan, Laurel Geller, Anthony Lanzone, Xavier Lindsey, Gaby Spear
Teachers: Linsy Dooley, Mike Burgess, and Courtney Dove
Emma Baez, Elle Boyd, Riley Brown, Bridie Castell, Isabelle Childress, Eunwoo Choi, Celeste Corley, Corynn Cox, Yasir Cromer, Jacob DeMasters, Cael Edwards, Sean Fouste-Alvarez, Arianna Ganjehsani, John Gardner, Andrew Hancock, Sierra Jansen, Luke Johnson, Michelle Le, Adam McCown, Lucy Near, Devi Patel, Krisha Patel, Matthew Roldan, Denny Sasek, Rachel Schultz, Maddie Spires, Mary Taylor Campbell, Ellie Truong, Kristen Weaver, Sam Wham, Samantha Wilson, Sienna Woodley, Lauren Yarborough, Eileen Zheng
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
and establish
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
Classes
South Dakota
Spearfish High School
Teacher: Patrick Gainey
Thomas Anglin, Jackson Branum, Sydney Brost, Ava Citrowske, Jozie Dana, Andrew Edwards, Lanie Ewing, Kathryn Fjelland, Sara Heine, Jared Heubrock, Jonnie Jensen, Alison Kennedy, Cadence Kilmer, Cole Malo, EllaMia Marty, Casey Nauta, Layke Roberdeau, Jayce Sandford, Owen Schnabel, Austynn Suda, Laurie Vifquain, September Vojta, Emrys Williams, Hollie Wise
Texas
Tomball Innovation Center Law Club
Teacher: Greg Wiley and Christina Litchfield
Aerial Arriaga, Tiffani Hickman, Deacon Johnston, Olivia Kasper, Litzy Moreno, Avery Newsom, Valentina Pous, Ramon Rodriguez, Preciosa Santoyo, Wyatt Sial, Gabriel Sorto, Chinwe Tasie-Amadi, Logan Waugh, Adam Wiley
Utah
Ridgeline High School
Teachers: Julie Major and Cody Scott
Tylie Anderson, Enoch Beardall, Isaac Eastmond, Wren Howard, Cordelia McNabb, Katherine McNeil, Makenna Peterson, Kenna Welker, Aaron Young
Virginia
Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies
Teacher: Samuel Ulmschneider
Hiya Agrawal, Grace Blakley, Matthew Bond, Sonia Chornodolsky, Winston Crane, Caitlin Farrell, Luna Forlano, Ruby Freyer, Lucy Gates, Olin Gunlicks, Allison Lichtman, V (Francis) Lowden, Elena Loy, Zoe Ma, Sriyutha Morishetty, Elizabeth O'Shea, Ritvika Palani, Tanvi Palavalas, Alexis Paraschiv, Anusha Rathi, Ian Sexton, Brenden Stremler, Katie Watson, Jillian Wilson
Virginia (Wildcard)
establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
Douglas S. Freeman High School
Teacher: Rob Peck
Meade Anderson, Jackson Buhler, Sarah Chilton, Liah Chung, Abby Clifton, Anuj Damle, Adie Fankhauser, Elaine Jacob, Abby Johnson, Navya Lella, Carter Nesmith, Lainey Peterson, Coco Sammons, Tyler Talbott, Nathaniel Taylor, Piper Troxell, Olivia Tyson, Finn Whipple, Logan White
of Liberty to and our
do ordain and
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
Classes
Washington
Tahoma High School
Teachers: Gretchen Wulfing and Mike Seger
Nathan Andualem, Vritika Bhuva, Alicia Cantu, Lucas Chabaud, John Chamberlain, Requin Drier, Reid Gardner, Shravya Gupta, Sirin Khan, Ryan Kim, Samuel Lindell, Timothy McNey, Carly Menchaca, Esmeralda Murillo-Reyes, Diya Nampy, Oakley Palmer, Ruby Santos, Pranaav Sund, Elena Warner, Nathan Wengreen, Yeabesira Wesenyeleh, Gunnar Wheaton, Macy Whitt, Allison Zappe, Sumaiyya Zunairah
Washington (Wildcard)
Bellarmine Preparatory School
Teacher: Ken Brown
David Añel, Cassandra Brinlee, Jameson Cosgrove, Lexie Crist, Yvonne Cruz, Teagan Ellington, Natalie Jones, Nadia Kohles, Josephine Kunz, Margeaux Liloc, Logan Lindsell, Alice Malebranche, Connor Mau, Owen Mikkelson, Ogechi Nkem, Kylia Phillips, Brayden Pugh, Santiago Quesada, Sol Sharkey, Matthew Taylor, Simon Zapf
West Virginia Woodrow Wilson High School
Teacher: John Quesenberry
Ram Asaithambi, David Burgess, Addison Crawford, Jonas Helton, Chase Hibbs, Jerry Linn, Selina Mabalot, Ryan McMellon, Caron Misch, Alex Redden, Kalei Thompson
Wisconsin
Wauwatosa East High School
Teacher: Michael Aronow
Olin Andersen, Alex Broeckert, Rashied Bullocks, Colin Burns, KyJon Derrick, Jack Dietlin, Claire Foley, Lila Hicks, Nora Hoppe, Annie Hyland, Grace Kreklow, Goran Novalija, Matthew Phillips, Nick Randall, Emilia Ruggini, Cecil Schultz, June Straka, Olivia Thom, Abbie Toyama, Malik Boyd, Maya Day, Julia Fossum, Olivia Jessup-Anger
Wisconsin (Wildcard)
Wauwatosa West High School
Teachers: Chad Mateske
Sebastian Christy, Kay Connolly, Max Decker, Mina Dunlop, Andrew Ecklund, Elliott Engbring, Maren Fax, Rhys Fredin, Will Moertl, Rory Petitt, Imaryliz Sanchez
and establish
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
Classes
Wyoming
Sheridan High School
Teachers: Michael Thomas and Claire Gerber
Gabriel Aasby, Andrew Adams, Blake Anderson, Aaron Baures, Lorenzo Cherry, Korah Condos, Gavin Gilbertz, Shaun Gonda, Dani Grooms, Olivia Hardesty, Rachel Keegan, Annabel Lentz, Rosa Lepe-Sanchez, Nicholas Matheney, Abigail Neuman, Lincoln Robbins, Anaya Simmons, Sophia Spomer, Morgandy Straight, Cameron Sulz, Eliana Walton, Addisyn Winkler, Sydney Zebroski
Wyoming (Wildcard)
Cody High School
Teacher: Karen Wagner, John Corbin, Brad Cox, and Ashley Haws
Annually, the Center awards the John Lewis Scholarship to one class in tribute to the former congressman and civil rights leader. The scholarship is awarded to a qualified class that would otherwise not be able to attend. The Center is appreciative of the donations that have enabled us to extend this opportunity.
establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
This year, the team selected is:
Tennyson High School from Hayward, California
Congratulations to the students and their teachers, Javier Astorga, Charlie Jones, and Mark Ohlmann.
of Liberty to and our
do ordain and
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the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings Posterity,ourselves and establish
We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
Congratulations to Leeza and the entire Denver East Angels Team
Congratulations to Leeza and the entire Denver East Angels Team
Thank You
All Who Make Our Civics Fair Possible
• The American Legion
–The Zabarsky Family
–The Zabarsky Family
• Constituting America
• The Gilder Lehrman
Institute of American History
of Liberty to and our Posterity, do ordain and
• iCivics
• Indiana University
• Life Stories
• Morven Park
• Mount Vernon
• The National Liberty Museum
• Retro Report
• The Supreme Court
Historical Society
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
Judges
Our sincere thanks goes to our panel of esteemed judges, without whom this event would not be possible.
Isabelle M. Aboaf
Ph.D. Candidate, Yale University Connecticut
Cash Arehart Manager of Historic Interpretation, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Virginia
Aparna Arjunan Psychologist, VA Medical Center Washington, D.C.
Jack Barlow Professor of Politics, Emeritus, Juniata College Pennsylvania
Tara Bartlett Faculty and Associate Director, Arizona State University Arizona
Lauren Bell
James L. Miller Professor of Political Science, Randolph-Macon College Virginia
Zelalem Bogale Attorney, Berkshire Hathaway Energy Nevada
Alan Brodman Retired Educator, New Jersey
Jocelyn Broman Professional Staff, U.S. House of Representatives Virginia
Lester Brooks Professor Emeritus, Anne Arundel Community College Maryland
Rebecca Bruno Principal Policy Strategist, Virginia
Emmanuel Caudillo Senior Advisor, White House
Hispanic Initiative Washington, D.C.
Chris Cavanaugh Teacher, Bismarck Public Schools North Dakota
Augustus Chin Municipal Judge, Holladay Justice Court Utah
Cheryl Cook-Kallio Board Member, Center for Civic Education California
John Cousins Entrepreneur/Investor New Mexico
John DeLoache Senior Staff Attorney South Carolina
Rohan Dharan Manager, Advanced and Enriched Instruction, DC Public Schools Washington, D.C.
Robert Dion Professor, University of Evansville Indiana
Lindsey Draper Commissioner (Retired), Private Practice Wisconsin
and establish
Judges
Chuck Dunlap
President & CEO, Indiana Bar Foundation Indiana
Francene Engel
Political Scientist and Constitutional Scholar, Maryland Council for Civic and History Education Maryland
Trish Everett
Instructional Designer, i-Tech for Schools Florida
We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for
Elizabeth Fakoya
We The People Alumni, UNLV Student Nevada
Susan Firestone
Retired Attorney Michigan
Terry Fox
Appellate Judge, Colorado Court of Appeals Colorado
Avery Gagne
Public Affairs Specialist, Department of Energy Washington, D.C.
Erin Gard
Trial Attorney Illinois
Yanesi Gonzalez
Undergraduate Student, University of Miami Florida
Michael (Mike) Gooch Attorney at Law, Michael Gooch, Attorney at Law Nebraska
Randy Gordon Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Randy S. Gordon New Hampshire
Mary Hallock Morris
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Southern Indiana Indiana
Alyssa Hanou
Program Manager, British Embassy Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Harris Judge,
Colorado Court of Appeals Colorado
Meg Heubeck
Director of Instruction/ UVA Center for Politics, Youth Leadership Initiative Virginia
Charlie Hinderliter
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, St. Louis REALTORS® Missouri
the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
Karina Henderson
Director, Account Strategy, Kane Communications Group Wisconsin
Drew Horvath Retired Teacher Indiana
Ronnald Jeffrey Judge, Cheyenne Municipal Court Wyoming
Stephen Jewett Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida Florida
Caitlin Johnston
General Counsel & Chief
Human Resources Officer, The Shade Store New York
Susan Jorgensen Teacher, Renton School District Washington
of Liberty to and our
do ordain and
Judges
Aliza Kapel Social Studies Curriculum Development Specialist, New Visions for Public Schools
New York
Rob Kardell
Teacher/Adjunct Professor, Doral Academy Red Rock Middle/High School and Nevada Center for Civic Engagement
Nevada
Chai Karve Chief Speechwriter, Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer Michigan
Ally Kjellander
Associate Attorney, Holland & Hart LLP
Idaho
Brit Kreimeyer Defense Attorney –Adult Felony Unit, Thurston County Public Defense
Washington
Erin Lewis Executive Director, Center for Innovation & Change, University of Evansville
Indiana
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
Julia Longoria Host & Editorial Director, Vox
Florida
Genie Massey Director of Strategic Initiatives, Maryland Civic Education Coalition
Maryland
Kory McBride Educational Consultant and Coach, NACAC, NYSACAC, CACNY, Eagle Academy Foundation
New Jersey
Sean McClelland Assistant Federal Public Defender, Federal Public Defender’s Office, District of Nevada Nevada
Jason McConnell Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming Wyoming
Tandy McConnell Teacher, Richland Two School District South Carolina
James McKenna Attorney and Adjunct Teaching Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Massachusetts
Mariam Memarsadeghi Founder and Director, Cyrus Forum for Iran’s Future
Maryland
Mike Miles Retired Elected Official, Jefferson County Commission
Alabama
Timothy Moore Deputy Director, Center for the Study of the American Constitution
Wisconsin
Daniel Murphy Senior Technical Specialist, Democracy International California
Paul Nolette Director, Les Aspin Center for Government, Marquette University Washington, D.C.
and establish
Judges
Paul O'Malley Attorney, Indiana Bar Michigan
We the People of the in Order to form Union,
Tennile O’Meara Teacher-Department Lead, Washoe County School District Nevada
Diana Owen Professor, Georgetown University Maryland
Jeffrey Owen Retired, American Bankers Association Maryland
Israel Piedra Attorney, Partner, Welts, White & Fontaine, PC New Hampshire
Liza Prendergast Vice President, Democracy International Washington, D.C.
Douglas Rands
Beth Ratway Principal Technical Assistance Consultant, American Institutes for Research Wisconsin
Tiffany Richardson General Counsel, Richland School District One South Carolina
David Richmond Educator (Retired), The Constitution in American Life: Friends of Publius California
Donald Rogers
Adjunct Lecturer in History, Emeritus, Central Connecticut State University Connecticut
William Shields Educator, West Jordan Middle School, Jordan School District Utah
Brian Stark Attorney at Law, Stark Law PLLC
establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
Senior Deputy Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General of Nevada Nevada
Karl Smith
Deputy Solicitor General, Washington State Attorney General's Office Washington
Vermont Candida Steel Judge, U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals Maine
Rebecca Steinhoff Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer, John P. Ellbogen Foundation Wyoming
James Sweeney Judge, US District Court, Southern District of Indiana Indiana
Dan Taubman
Senior Judge, Colorado Court of Appeals Colorado
Michael Taylor Professor, Northeast Community College Nebraska
of Liberty to and our
Tom Tinder Lawyer, West Virginia Bar Foundation West Virginia
do ordain and
Judges
Joanna Tobin Member, Board of Education of Anne Arundel County Maryland
Joe Valenti Engagement & Policy Fellow/Program Manager, CFPB Virginia
Jonathan Varat Dean and Professor of Law Emeritus, UCLA School of Law California
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
Edward Volpe Attorney at Law, Volpe Law Firm Colorado
Karen Wagner Social Studies Educator, Park County School District #6 Wyoming
Keri Welch Attorney, SK Lawyers, LLC New Hampshire
Dychon Whitaker Assistant Principal, Charles County Public Schools Maryland
and establish
Mike Williams Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of San Diego California
Daniel Wong Retired Attorney and former Judge, Idaho We The People Idaho
Janice Yates Retired Teacher / School Board Member Michigan
State Coordinators
Many thanks to our state coordinators who work throughout the year championing the We the People program.
Alabama
Reta McKannan
Alaska
Amy Galloway
Arizona
Jennifer Castro
Arkansas Vacant
California
Cheryl Cook-Kallio
Colorado
Christopher Elnicki
Connecticut
Erin Simcik & Rebecca Taber
We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence,
Delaware
Fran O'Malley & Scott Abbott
District of Columbia
Jennifer Fuller
Florida
Annette Boyd Pitts & Viana Jackie
Georgia Vacant
Hawaii
Reginald (Keahe)
Davis & Matt Mattice
Idaho
Dan Wong
Illinois
Dee Runaas
Indiana
Tim Kalgreen
Iowa
Jennifer McNabb & Scott Peters
Kansas
Thomas Vontz & Kim Wahaus
Kentucky
Glenn Manns
Louisiana
Peggy Cotogno
Maine
Jeannemarie
Halleck
Maryland
Marcie
Taylor-Thoma
Massachusetts
Kelley Brown & Roger Desrosiers
Michigan
Missouri
Melinda Bier & Hercules Anastasia
Montana
Dan Gatley
Nebraska
Lori Broady
Nevada
Christine Hull
New Hampshire
Martha Madsen
New Jersey
Robert O'Dell & Arlene Gardner
New Mexico
Martina Gutierrez
New York
Debra Lesser & Gladys Aviles
North Carolina Vacant
North Dakota
Jennifer Kallenbach
Ohio
Pennsylvania
David Keller
Trevaskis
Rhode Island
Jeff Parenteau
South Carolina
Donald Lanier
South Dakota
Wes Brown
Tennessee
Janis Kyser
Texas
promote general Welfare, secure the
Ellen Zwarensteyn
Minnesota
Vacant
Mississippi
Michael Harris
Danny Rains
Oklahoma Vacant
Oregon
Abby Laufman
Jan Miller
Utah
Dawn Harvey
Vermont
Martha Deiss
Virginia
Amelia Bochain
Washington
Jessica Kelly
West Virginia
Rebecca Tinder
Wisconsin
Vacant
Wyoming
Andy Pannell
of Liberty to and our
do ordain and
Years of Service
The National Finals rely on the dedicated service of volunteers from across the country. They have our deepest appreciation.
5+ Years of Service
Judges & Volunteers
. Cash Arehart
. Jocelyn Broman
. Emmanuel Caudillo
. Chris Cavanaugh
. Francene Engel
. Ben Fabian
. Charlie Hinderliter
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings
. Caitlin Johnston
. Brit Kreimeyer
. Erin Lewis
. Liza Prendergast
. Beth Ratway
. Donald Rogers
. Jason Sklenar
10+ Years of Service
Judges & Volunteers
. Michael Anderson
. Barry Anderson
. Lester Brooks
. Augustus Chin
. Lindsey Draper
. Chuck Dunlap
. Jamie Gass
. Reta McKannan
. Mike Miles
. Timothy Moore
. Daniel Murphy
. Jen Patja
. Daniel Taubman
. Tom Tinder
15+ Years of Service
Judges & Volunteers
. Stephen Frantzich
. Hank Chambers
. Benjamin Glickman
State Coordinators
. Tim Kalgreen, Indiana
. Matt Mattice, Hawai’i
. Rebecca Tinder, West Virginia
20+ Years of Service
Judges & Volunteers
. Jared Reitz
. Candida Steel
. Edward Volpe
. Carl Dermady, Jr.
. Tandy McConnell
. Jack Barlow
. Dick Kean
and establish
State Coordinators
. Wesley Brown, South Dakota
. Christine Hull, Nevada
. Cheryl Cook-Kallio, California
. Ryan Suskey, Ohio
State Coordinators
. Pam Carrier, Nebraska
. Ellen Zwarensteyn, Michigan
. Roger Desrosiers, Massachusetts
. Donald Lanier, South Carolina
State Coordinators
. Marcie Taylor-Thoma, Maryland
. Tom Vontz, Kansas
. Matt Strannigan, Wyoming
About the Center
Our Mission
Promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy.
For 60 years, the Center for Civic Education has ensured a free and fair republic by teaching the principles and practice of democracy to millions of educators and their students.
Our flagship curricula are We the People, which focuses on the essential concepts of American democracy, and Project Citizen, which involves students in crafting public policies for their own community.
We also provide a suite of professional learning, to ensure educators are well prepared, and free supplemental resources that are engaging and easy to use in the classroom. Of course, everything we do is rigorously researched and continuously refined.
For more information on the Center and its programs, visit our website at civiced.org or call 818-591-9321.
Keep up with the latest from the Center:
We the People of the in Order to form
Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the
of Liberty to and our Posterity, do ordain and
the United States, form a more perfect establish Justice, domestictheTranquility, promotecommon the Welfare, and toBlessings Posterity,ourselves and establish
From the Board of Ðirectors
The Center's Board of Directors congratulates the students participating in the 2025 We the People National Finals. You are the vibrant future of our Democracy!
The Board thanks the teachers, coaches, parents, and supporters who helped the students achieve this honor.
Congratulations
We the People of the in Order to form Union, establish insureprovidedomestic for the defence, promote general Welfare, secure the Blessings of Liberty to and our Posterity, do ordain and
