Nearly 150 students from six high schools tackled questions based on constitutional issues in simulated congressional hearings at the Ohio Statehouse on January 24 as part of the “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” state competition, sponsored by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education.

Months of research and preparation led to the moment when the students went before the panel to see how well they knew the topic.

“You can’t really be right or wrong, you just had to be confident in your answer and act like you knew what you were talking about.” Archbold High School tenth grader Hannah Yoder said after her team’s presentation.

Alyssa Geralds competed in “We the People” five years ago and came back this year as a facilitator.

“It was such an exciting day years ago that I just wanted to give back and see how kids are doing. It’s really incredible to see how the information that I took in, how it’s even evolved over the past four and five years,” Geralds said.

isa Eschleman, executive director of the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education, says they’ve been holding this competition since 1984.

“Students learn how to think critically,” Eschleman said of the experience. “They learn to research in depth, but it also provides how to learn how to think on your feet, respond without being prompted, and these are skills that students will carry with them for the rest of their life.”

This year’s state champion, Findlay High School, will represent the Buckeye State at the “We the People National Finals,” to be held this April in Washington D.C.

For more information about “We the People,” visit OCLRE.org.