We The People Students Talk about Upcoming National Competition

Sheridan High School’s “We the People” team brought home a state championship at the district and state competition held last December in Cheyenne. This is the 11th year since 2009 that the SHS team, under history teacher Michael Thomas, has won the competition.

The next step is nationals, which will be held in Washington DC April 11-17. Twenty-six students will be going to compete in the competition, which tests each teams’ knowledge of the U.S. Constitution.

The team is made up mostly of juniors, but there are three SHS seniors on the team as well.

On Monday, the students in Unit 1 and Unit 3 talked to Sheridan Media about the program, the fundraising to go to Washington, and some of what they are learning.

Josh Frackrell, Junior, Unit 1, said that this is the first year these students have competed. When asked what topic they would be learning about his year, he said.

Garrett Otto, quarterback of Unit One said this about the program,

The quarterback is the student who is the leader, who makes sure the unit is on track.

Susie Foster is the quarterback of Unit 3. She talked about Unit 3 and what they are focused on.

Eva Anderson, of Unit 3, had this to add

Helyn Gnehm, one of the seniors on the We The People team, talked about her experiences with the program. She plans to go into government and politics and her major will be international affairs. When asked if she felt that our constitution affected other counties, Gnehm said,

Danielle Gilbert in Unit 3 talked about why she liked the class. She said that before this class she wasn’t really interested in government and politics, but this class made it more interesting. She talked about the essay they are writing now.

Zane Jackson in Unit 1 said that the biggest takeaway he got from the class was

He added that some of the ideas we might hold about the founding fathers may not always be accurate. He said that it is interesting and refreshing to find that and idea you’ve always had has been challenged.

Jackson Gaskill, Unit One, had this to add,

For 26 kids to take a trip to Washington, DC, it costs a great deal of money. They have raised about half the funds needed, but they are still selling T-Shirts with sponsors printed on the back, which they will wear when in DC to promote Sheridan and Sheridan’s businesses.
The teacher, Michael Thomas, has been to DC several times, and one student commented they would ‘see everything there is to see’ while they are there.

Helyn Gnehm added that if they raise more money than needed, they will past the excess on to the upcoming class to help them with their trip.

Anyone wishing to either donate to the students or have their name or logo on the T-Shirt can contact Michael Thomas at Sheridan High School.

Thomas said at the SCSD#2 January Board meeting that the Sheridan community has helped the team raise money 11 times and Thomas said that it is not cheap to take 26 kids to DC to compete. “We are very grateful and thankful for their support.”