Citizen Nation

-I didn't know that much about the Constitution.

I was very anti Constitution.

I had a pretty negative view of it because I'm like, "Why are we listening to all these old men that lived in the 1700s?"

But as I grew more engrossed in the history of it, I realized that some of the ideals were very beautiful.

"...principles of the Constitution and a constant adherence to those of piety, justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality."

You can clearly tell that John Adams wrote it, and it's one of those things where when you can tell just by the style of writing, it's like, "Oh, my heart."

-Yeah.

-We have very little time until we go to D.C.

So that means that everyone has to be dedicated and committed to the task at hand, and that means being professional.

Last year we came in second place in the nation, just behind, uh, Maggie Walker.

Uh, there was a big upset this year.

So Maggie Walker, um, did not make it to nationals this year.

They are not gonna be competing.

-What?

No.

They didn't make it?

They got beat out.

By who?

-So I just have to say, anything is possible, right?

[ Applause ] -Yeah, no, that -- that's interesting.

-It's very surprising.

-It's kind of scary.

-That's very interesting.

-It's a lot of pressure.

-It lit a spark for them.

-Almost scary.

-Yeah, what does it say about us?

There's some beast out there lurking in the shadows.

-I had exactly what I wanted.

Your unit did well and my team did better.

-My Unit Four beat your Unit Four.

-We felt like we put in the work.

-We got our We the People shirts.

-Fun shirt.

-Our team kicked butt.

-If then they spirit look upon us now, shall it not grieve thee?

-And because we're going to nationals, it's just that much more of a boom!

-The national competition gets tougher every year, and it's the same schools that really dominate.

- When you saw it for the first time -It's the Oregon schools, it's California.

These programs are just incredible.

-Okay, you guys know your plan.

Our school has won more national titles than I think any other school in the country.

-That's how many days we have to practice before nationals.

We have always made top ten.

-We've built a really good ecosystem.

-We have a small army of coaches.

-Mentorship from professional attorneys.

-We're practicing every day.

We're going home and spending hours researching.

-This is one of my favorite things in the entire world.

-It's just so satisfying.

-My students are so poised.

You know, sometimes I think, "Oh, my gosh, they're so brilliant."

- A story told in headlines And visa stamps denied -I also play folk music and sing in a couple of bands around Portland.

-I am president of the Asian American Club.

-President of our Science Bowl and Science Olympiad clubs.

-President of Local Leaders, Latinos Unidos.

-The Environmental Justice club.

-Habitat for Humanity.

-President of Bollywood dance team.

-I do a lot of theater.

-Data science.

-Do some woodworking on my own.

-Track and field and cross country.

-I also play water polo and I do swim.

-Marching band, the choir.

-Just finished building my own desk.

-I'm actually interning for my local congressman.

-I intern at a memory care.

-Minister in training at the Nichiren Buddhist Temple.

-And a few other random clubs that I hop around at lunch because I don't know where to sit.

-And yeah.

-I'm also learning guitar.

-[ Laughs ] - When freedom's only granted To those who have the means to buy back in -We know we can win a national championship.

-We're constantly trying to be perfect.

-I did challenge you this week to actually... "Perfection" is a difficult word to say because it's like, you know, no human being can be perfect, but we seek as close to perfection as possible.

-It's like, oh, you can't just get, I don't know, 12th or something.

You have to at least place in the top ten.

But I don't know.

[ Laughs ] -We used to be in that group of schools and said that we should require a consideration...

But, like, they're just on a different level right now.

Okay.

What does a consideration mean?

I'm Marc Mondry, and I'm from East Brunswick.

I graduated from this high school in 2004.

The program at East Brunswick has a long and decorated history.

Our first national championship was in 1998.

My class won the national championship in 2004.

Those are the glory days.

[ Bell rings ] Good job, guys.

But we haven't really had like a top-five or top-seven finish in the last 15 years.

-My name is Sunjay.

I was born just 20 minutes from here.

I mean, I have fears of failure.

So, like, yeah, we won states, but I had trouble with it.

I just don't want us to embarrass ourselves at nationals.

So, Evan, are you coming or not?

-I'm gonna go ask my mom real quick.

-Okay.

-I've grown up with these people for so long, and we spend so much time together because We the People has become like a really big part of my life.

I don't think Evan's coming out.

It's 'cause you're in front of the wrong house.

-56, right?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we're right outside your house.

-64, 64.

-Oh, my God.

-All right.

We'll be there in a second, Evan.

There's Evan.

Evan!

Evan.

-Hey, Evan.

-Oh, my God.

Are we picking up Kenneth?

-No, Kenneth's already there.

-That is such a Kenneth thing to do.

-Our group, Unit Four, is me, Rania, Evan... -Could I get a blue raspberry Italian ice?

Um, regular.

-...and Kenneth.

-To describe Kenneth...

He's really smart.

-Kenneth is just good at everything.

-I think he very much takes, like, a leadership role.

-Once I looked in his back seat, it's just filled with books that he's reading.

And, like, yeah, I have books on my desk.

I haven't touched these books, whereas Kenneth is reading all of those books.

-So obviously everyone called him kind of like the valedictorian.

Oh, my God!

-Yes, he's ridiculously smart.

-I got to unblue my teeth.

-But Kenneth doesn't know how to boil an egg, or, like, cook pasta.

I'm kind of like the second in command underneath Kenneth.

The best part is that I'm lactose intolerant, so you guys get to deal with me.

I will start farting in the middle of our meeting.

-No!

I would say our group is a little bit deranged at points.

-Like, I knew it would be a fun group and a fun group dynamic.

I was worried about the work and how the work would work out.

For states, the question was about judicial review.

It haunts me to this day.

I remember it exactly.

Well, I think the most influential would be Marbury v. Madison, um, where Supreme Court justice, um... uh... ...um... -Uh, to clarify what, uh, Sunjay is -- is trying to say, um, in Marbury v. Madison, Justice John Marshall established that the court had... -I was like, "I really messed this up."

-Well, I'd actually like to disagree with Sunjay because I believe that the Constitution, although it may be vague in the powers that the judicial branch has, for example, um...

I have to try and forget that moment.

In, um... -To -- To kind of add on, even... -Kenneth, he'll pick up if someone makes a mistake.

-Kenneth, if he wanted to, he could answer everything and do it all himself.

And so the biggest struggle that we have is not letting Kenneth do that.

When it comes to nationals, our biggest priority is making sure everyone has something to contribute.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -All right.

I'm hoping to inspire them to get refocused.

We've got this alumni dinner where we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of that 1998 national championship.

-Oh, this is so cool.

I can't believe she saved all this.

This is great.

Bill Clinton sent us a note.

[ Laughs ] I think at my parents' house... -It's such a pleasure, it's such a privilege to be in this position, having followed a couple of true legends in the game.

[ Applause ] -When people ask me, how did you choose to be a political scientist?

Like, where did that desire come from?

And I tell them it came from this competition that I did my senior year in high school.

-The students that come through this program, when they leave, they are so much more mature.

But it requires buy-in, right, to understand why this is valuable and why they should be doing it.

I want to turn it over to Alan Brodman, my teacher, to say a few words.

-These people, these wonderful, fantastic alums sitting in the same room with this class right back where this all started.

As a teacher, to see where these people have gone on to, to see all of your faces, it is so wonderful.

[ Voice breaking ] I don't know that you can... [ Sniffles ] ...that you can understand how important and how wonderful it is from my perspective to see all of you here.

-I truly think that when you have all these great alumni come back, you start comparing yourself and start thinking, "Am I really like them?

Am I truly like the greats that have come before me?"

- You don't know, you don't know Don't know Don't know Been so low, I'm so low I need a lift, get away from this To get away... -We haven't had a lot of money for a long, long time.

Not having money just absolutely sucks, especially in a capitalist society.

If you don't have money, you can't do very much.

It's just a whole -- it's self-perpetuating.

And if you do have money, you can do a lot more.

-Love you, buddy.

-Even though all these other schools have way more resources allocated to them, Miss Lindt is still taking us to nationals.

One of the lowest-thought-of schools by like any other school in the district.

We beat East, we beat Central who have programs set up and more money than us to do We the People.

And yet we still beat them.

It was like a David and Goliath story.

[ Bell rings ] [ Indistinct conversations ] -Are you getting excited?

-Yeah.

-We are South High School, and this is our teacher, Erin Lindt.

-Horns up!

-Horns up!

-I have sensed a lot of nerves about things.

Okay?

Don't stress yourself out about it, you guys, okay?

The other teams have 10, 12 lawyers helping their team.

We don't have the same resources.

That's okay.

What is our goal?

-Have fun.

-To have fun!

We're going to D.C. We're gonna have a great time.

It's like the apex of the year.

It's the -- what we work for, for everything.

You're gonna grab one of these shirts and one of these shirts.

But unfortunately, Mario dropped off the face of the Earth.

After state, Mario told me he wanted to go to D.C. Like, that's the whole reason why he was staying in school.

But after that conversation, he just stopped showing up.

-I didn't go to school at all.

So one day they called me and told me I'd been kicked out.

I wanted to compete just -- just to say I did it.

Maybe even because I wanted to go to D.C. at one point, but then it obviously didn't end up working.

This is painfully slow.

What's the Fourth Amendment do?

-Uh, free guns?

-No.

-What?!

-That is literally the Second Amendment.

-There's no way you said that.

Come on.

-It's the right against unlawful seizure, stuff like that.

-Unlawful seizure?

-Yeah, like the police can't search your...for no reason.

What about the Fifth Amendment?

That one's an easy one.

-Sorry, don't remember that one.

-The right to not self-incriminate.

"I plead the Fifth."

[ Indistinct conversations ] So the fact that I don't get to go to D.C. at all, but the rest of my teammates do, you know, it happens.

-There are bigger, more concerning things, I think, happening in his life that are beyond our control.

I don't blame him.

I understand.

But I also just wanted to see everything that he could have amounted to.

I can only do for those who are there.

So you focus on those who are there.

That's all you can do.

You kind of got to let it go.

-Welcome, welcome.

All right, let me be the first to welcome you to D.C. [ Students cheering ] [ Indistinct conversations ] -This is honestly why I took this class.

It's just a really cool opportunity that not everyone gets.

So honestly, I'm just really grateful for that.

-Getting to travel across the country with 30 kids is a whole new bonding experience.

I tell them, like, you will never get this experience ever replicated in a classroom ever again.

-What's the significance?

-Bringing kids to Washington, D.C., some of them have never left our town, and some have never flown on an airplane before.

Everything in D.C. has some sort of symbolism, okay?

The streets that run this way are all state names.

There's Pennsylvania Avenue, there's Wyoming Avenue, to represent federalism and the division of power between the states and the national government.

Everything has symbolism.

All of it.

It's all done with a purpose.

-In July, I will be heading up to basic on my 18th birthday.

Everything that I've done up till high school has led up to this point.

-This time in a kid's life is intense.

In many ways, you're like going through this transition where you're trying to emotionally prepare yourself for adulthood, where you're, like, trying to find yourself, but you're also like trying to separate from your old self.

-Is it nice living in D.C.?

-I love it.

-So many people here.

I love it.

-I think Elias, he's grown into his own this year.

I think he's willing to look at things at face value.

-Who's all getting in?

-Elias, you get in!

-He's like, "Well, I'm going to be active service and I'm gonna help my dad afterwards, start paying off his house."

-I've worked for this, and now I get to do what I want to do.

Because if you -- if you don't take action now, you're not going to be able to take action later.

-Hello, we're Unit Six from Wauwatosa West High School, Wisconsin state champions.

I'm Ben Nowacek, and I'm a sophomore.

-I'm Addison Scharlau.

I'm a junior.

-I'm Henry Riordan, and I'm a sophomore.

-I'm Journeylove Taylor, and I'm junior.

-We are here on behalf of... -How often does a high school student have the chance to be named national champion in any aspect, whether it's sports or academics or whatever?

And they have the chance.

It's just up to them.

-I've really grown to love everyone in my unit.

-In doing so, increase the scale of our voluntary associations... -Ben is crazy.

In the beginning of the year, me and Ben would literally argue like every single day.

Are 39% more likely to be civically engaged and vote.

Like I can say, "The sky is blue."

"No.

The sky is cyan with a tint of green and a little bit of yellow."

Like, seriously, like... -Emergencies as a society that we need to bring us together.

-But, like, I don't think our unit would be the same without him because he knows so much.

-Okay, what?

-Evan needs to go by "Ee-vahn."

[ Laughter ] Actually, it's "Ee-vahn."

-Rania, I feel like you say all these things, I remember it, and then I don't even know that you're in my class.

[ Knock on door ] -Mr. Mondry.

-Unit Four ready to roll?

-Yes!

-Let's go.

-Are we your favorite unit?

-Can I wait until your scores come back to answer that question?

Do I have to remind you that all four of you need all four of you to do well tomorrow?

Maybe we should be building each other up.

I know you're tired, but, like, I think we can do better.

I don't want to listen to Kenneth straight for 2 1/2 minutes.

As soon as someone's ready, like, give him the signal, let him know, "Hey, wrap it up.

I'm ready to go."

That's, like, really important.

Like, really kind of rooting for you.

-I feel weirdly very calm.

-Right?

But it's because we're not there yet.

-I'm feeling everything right now.

-Yeah.

-It's such a great environment to be in that room surrounded by literally -- -Other nerds.

-Other nerds, but also, like, family.

-Be for real, Carlyne.

-Such positive energy.

-A nerd cult.

-It is a nerd cult.

-I believe I can get us to top -- not just me, but we can get to top ten.

That's what I believe.

-Just Jamo can get us to top ten.

-I corrected my statement.

-I mean, that's goal number one.

-No, no, no, no, no.

-What?

-I didn't like your collar being completely inverted.

-You looked like Count Dracula.

-It's a nerd cult.

I get bullied for being in this class.

They're like, "Oh, you're..." -[ Laughs ] -I tried to get my sophomore friend to do it, and she was like, "You lost me at Constitution."

I was like, "Bruh."

This is a mess.

Stressful.

[ Indistinct conversations ] No.

No.

We have to win.

We have to leave no doubt.

Like, we have to make sure that they know who's really alpha here, who's really number one, and that is Tosa West.

And we have to show them that.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Got it?

Here we go.

-Honestly, y'all, I like wearing the suits.

I feel like I'm standing on business.

Like, "Hello, my name is Kamala Harris, and I am VP."

-You are VP.

Well, why not just be P?

-Right.

-Ya know?

-Right.

-I think I would just, like, still hyper research.

-Good morning, good morning.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Come on in and head on down to orientation.

-Thanks.

-Guys, they're ready to take you.

Let's go.

[ Indistinct conversations ] - Constitution For the United States of America [ Indistinct conversations ] -Come on, folks, we got these two rows.

-It's getting packed in there.

-I'm not even nervous.

There's no point.

-There's nothing to be nervous about.

-Is that East over there?

-The girl with the tan blazer... -Wow, there's so many Virginias.

-Come, Skylar.

Come here.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -I think that's the third place... [ Indistinct conversations ] -In the nation.

-What was that?

-We found out about that last night.

-What?

One of the teams in front of them, I think, backed out, and I think they got in.

-So, turns out there was a slight change of plans.

After the deeply traumatic loss we suffered, it turns out a spot opened up and we got it.

-And the Congress would never willingly relinquish -- -What is that applicable to?

-I think a better conversation is the 18th, and then, no, we shouldn't remove -- -The 18th?

That was already repealed.

-I think we should do the 18th.

-Basically, the whole We the People team would just be like, "We're going to nationals!"

-You could say the Third Amendment.

-I would never say the Third Amendment.

-And I would say, no, the Third Amendment's our most important amendment because not only -- -The Third Amendment is not the most important amendment.

-It is to me.

-It was kind of a mixture of just like relief and a sudden realization of, oh, no, we are way behind.

We need to get working now.

-And providing one piece of evidence.

-One piece of evidence.

So somebody else is quoting Articles of Confederation.

-I can do that.

-Don't drink caffeine.

-Just drink a couple sips.

-I'll drink it one hour before.

-Half of it?

-I feel like my thing is like, are you gonna drink it all at once?

-What?

It's a can.

I have to just drink it... -Okay, I think she should drink it now because then -- -I will determine how I drink it.

-Popular sovereignty.

-I was connecting the aristocracy of Avery in relation to water brands.

-Control the controllables, right?

Control the controllables.

All we can control is what we do in this moment.

-Of course, there's a little bit of nervousness because my dad's competing against me.

But I only saw him for a brief moment at the opening ceremonies.

[ Cheers and applause ] -I know you all have spent hours and hours reading and writing and debating and discussing, and here in D.C. you're able to immerse yourself in a level of competition that rivals the Super Bowl or the World Cup.

And now it is showtime.

[ Cheers and applause ] -We the People, it's a very weird thing.

It's like a bunch of kids dressing up in, like, business suits.

You can tell that they're kids, but they look really good in their business suits.

-Whoo!

Let's go!

-You see?

Look.

-New Jersey Wildcard.

-Next intersection, turn right.

-Also, this place where competition is being held is very, very much like it's a maze.

I got lost trying to find the bathroom, actually.

-Okay, go right in here.

-Thank you.

-Look, it says Wyoming.

-Let's go.

-I was like, "Oh, shoot.

Hey, can you lead me back to Wyoming?"

And it was like right in front of me.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -It's hard to hear.

Project that voice.

-I always project.

-Don't stress.

-Cool.

Awesome.

Some people had knots.

Some people had, like, a weightlessness.

I had more of a weightlessness that turned into a knot.

I definitely think there's going to be a lot of students that are gonna be kicking our butt.

I hope we do really good.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -Are you gonna use that?

-Last year, we were 26th in the country.

-All right, ready?

Breathe in.

-The highest we've ever placed at Sheridan High School was 19th.

-Breathe in.

-Specificity of your answers has to be there.

Okay?

Do not use the word "stuff."

Okay?

-But our team set a goal to try to make it into the top ten.

You want to walk out of here and go, "We gave it the best shot that we had, and we're happy with our performance, and it's out of our hands now."

You definitely get to know who's who at the national competition.

-You are going to be strong.

You are going to be giants!

-Giants!

-You are going to be wizards!

-Wizards!

-You're gonna be elves!

-Nimble.

-Knock on the wood.

Knock.

Knock.

-She's doing well.

And we shall do well as well.

-And you're gonna knock their socks off.

We are... -Chronic public debaters.

-Giants, wizards, elves!

Giants, wizards, elves!

-So just stand up and let those gears that you worked so hard at oiling step in, okay?

And remember, your job is not to give the right answer.

There's not a single right answer.

-I have not been this nervous for a We the People round ever.

All of the stress kind of just like built up, -Guys, you know so much.

I'm, like, not stressed at all.

This is great.

I mean, I know I'm not the one going.

Um, all right, I'm not the one going, but I'm not stressed at all, man.

We're playing with house money here.

You guys know a lot of stuff.

Don't be timid.

If the judges get in your face, if the judges push you, go big.

For posterity.

For posterity.

Posterity.

-[ Sighs ] -Sunjay, you'll be fine!

You're gonna be fine.

-You'll be fine too.

Don't worry, Rania.

-Encroachment.

-No, fix the order.

I don't like this.

-Stop.

One, two, three.

-Shift it all one.

-No.

-No, one, two, three.

You start from the top.

-It's closest to me.

-No, it's like you read.

-Rania, had you told us this earlier, we could have circumvented this issue... -I hate you so much.

-[ Laughs ] -Let's go.

Take a seat.

Judges are here.

-Good morning, New Jersey.

-Good morning!

-Good afternoon, Virginia!

[ Cheering ] -Oregon.

-Good morning!

-Good morning, Wyoming.

-Please be seated.

-Please be seated.

-How are you all this afternoon?

-Good.

How are you?

-Good, thank you.

Unit One, I hope.

Okay.

-Yes.

We are now ready for your questions.

-Could we make direct democracy more accessible today if we all could just vote on an issue on our phones?

-I think so, because voting fraud is very rare.

Your chances of getting struck by lightning are higher than having voting fraud committed against you.

And in addition, we've already seen...

There's this legacy of Grant making top ten every year.

Now it's like, okay, well, now we're in the uncertain zone where anything can happen, right?

-I don't think that the Republican and Democrat represent the people.

I think they're representative in what they're advocating represents the people.

-Competition mode, I sit in the very back of the room because it's just nerve-racking.

-And I mean, when Liz Cheney, for example, took office, it was very quick.

-I have a very, probably unfair, warped sense of how it's supposed to be.

So if you think they should have answered a question a certain way and they didn't, you're just kind of on edge.

-Just how the media focuses on stuff, because it goes for short soundbites, speeches, quips, to try to draw the attention of the public.

-America in and of itself is revolutionary and was trying to strive for these ideals, like Montesquieu in the separation of powers.

So it's possible that we could do this again.

The judges are looking for citations.

They want specific statistics with credible sources.

-Do the benefits we get from using AI in the criminal justice system outweigh the challenges to the rights of the individual?

-I would absolutely disagree with that, as I feel that having an automated system in said democracy, republic, democracy that we're in, will lead to fascism, as exemplified in stories like "Starship Troopers" and more recently, a video game called Helldivers.

-If we wanted to change the Electoral College in any substantial way, we would have to institute something like... -...agreed to the National Popular Vote agreement.

-For example, Oregon is one of these states, and I think it's very telling that...

I get the same feeling that I used to get from playing competitive soccer.

You want to have the ball on your feet for as little as possible.

-...parties that we have.

However, today our parties are so polarized that I don't think this would even happen.

-I disagree, I think we could get an amendment passed.

The 27th Amendment was passed by a grassroots movement and was ratified with the help of individuals.

-That it should be consistent with the Fourth Amendment because that is very much a personal thing.

-This experience comes at the perfect time.

Challenging kids to question themselves and reflect, I think, is huge.

"Who am I?

Where do I belong and what is my place in the world?"

-...footage can help efficiently resolve criminal cases.

-And I think that's why we have seen this shift from the idea of evolving standards of decency... -...as a catalyst for... [ Overlapping talking ] -The framers created a system based on David Hume's assessment that it's not about how well administered a government is.

The successful government is the government... -The other teams, they're all gonna be perfect.

And so we can't just be fine.

We need to be perfect.

We need to be, like, amazing.

-...we have created.

Article I, Section 7, has the Presentment Clause, which requires the Senate and the House of Representatives to concur on legislation before it is presented to the president.

Sorry -- This system ensures that... -You knew immediately that Kenneth had brought his A game.

He came in and was on fire.

But you don't win without balance, without real contributions from everybody.

-So did our Founding Fathers -- but should have been some Mothers in there -- but did they envision the gerrymandering that we have?

-I don't think they anticipated gerrymandering.

They believed in the theory of one vote per one person.

And so when you have districts that are gerrymandering, some people's votes don't even count.

For example, in our home state of New Jersey, people go around saying, "Oh, I didn't vote because my vote doesn't count.

The Democrats are gonna win anyways.

Why should I vote?"

-I would have to strongly disagree with Sunjay on this one.

I believe that the idea that one person, one vote only applies to the very minority, um, individuals wealthy, often white, landowners.

We can even look at the Three-Fifths Compromise.

-But then ultimately there was a transformation that day where, like, things just clicked.

-Their voting power was not going to be actuated to the fullest extent.

-To add on to that, the framers clearly didn't intend for gerrymandering to be such an issue.

-And you're sort of in awe of what the kids are doing in that moment.

-So, clearly, they didn't anticipate this being -- -So initiatives are a good thing, then, to balance all that.

-Yes, I believe that initiatives are a good thing because it does allow for direct democracy.

And an example of this, I believe, is through the legalization of marijuana.

While it's a controversial topic, it's what the people have wanted to see in legislation... -It was the first time all year that you had this confluence of all three of the other group members -- Evan, Rania, and Sunjay -- getting on to Kenneth's level.

-...ballot initiative.

-Do you believe right now we need somehow to rejuvenate our democracy?

Do you think it's in good shape?

If you don't think it's in good shape, what would you do about it?

-I think civic education.

47% of Americans can't name the three branches of government.

How are we supposed to have a strong democracy if roughly half the country doesn't even understand the concept of a democracy?

-They came together to create something greater than any one of them was capable of individually.

Regardless of the scores, regardless of the finish, these kids are capable of doing things and capable of being people that they just weren't capable of before.

They understand what it means to be an adult.

They're gonna forget a lot of the content knowledge, but that emotional growth, that's going to stick with them forever.

-You guys are the last few units that are going onstage.

-This year, there was many times where I thought about dropping the class.

And I remember we had to, like, sell bake-sale stuff to, like, get money and, like, this Black girl was there and she was like, "Thank you for doing this, because, like, you make me want to do this."

And like I am about to cry, but, like, I just really think that, like, I'm glad I stayed because, like, me doing this will help encourage other people to do it.

-What role does the media play in shaping the narrative concerning civil disobedience?

-The media plays a crucial role in determining the narrative for this.

In the civil rights movement, the Children's March on Birmingham was televised, and this showed the chaos that the police were inciting on the protesters and caused JFK to start the initiative to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Being one of two Black people in the class, it's just, like, crazy.

-...which we eventually decide is a bad law?

-A protester must be willing to accept the consequences of their actions.

Because I feel like Tosa West is a very diverse school, but, like, in programs like this and, sadly, AP programs, like, I don't know why there's just a lack of representation.

-That was amazing.

That was awesome.

That was phenomenal.

It was all the compliments that you heard them say.

-Because, like, two is flipping insane.

Like, actually.

Like, it's insane.

-I have to say you guys absolutely crushed it.

-Well done, everybody.

-Absolutely crushed it.

-I'm not crying.

You're crying.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -But like you say, y'all know all these amendments in this Constitution.

Y'all have to use this.

-You have to -- this is just -- this is beyond a semester of school.

-Yeah.

And, like, that really is my motivation, especially to get into politics, because, like, really, like, I want to make a difference and, like, I really -- like, this cannot be America.

Like, we gotta lock in and, like, seriously have a difference in our world.

-One reason that I was so happy when we got this open competition wasn't because I love to win things or compete, but because it gave me a chance to continue working with you all.

And that is my great joy as a teacher, is getting to see your intellectual growth and your ability to really tackle this stuff.

So thank you for being such great partners in that project for me as a teacher, no matter how we do this evening.

Okay?

[ Exhales sharply ] [ All cheering ] -Hey, guys, I love the energy, but we can't crowd-surf.

We can do almost everything else, but we can't crowd-surf.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -He was driving a lot.

That kid was brilliant.

But if I'm thinking about... -My top three are California, Colorado, Oregon.

-I had Kentucky and Florida within four of each other.

-Interesting.

-It's amazing, the breadth of their knowledge, the depth of it.

-And they talk about, like, their favorite historical figure as a woman, like, that stuck with me.

-Yeah, I gave Virginia high points for discussion.

-I think Illinois and Washington.

-You know, I also like the fact that they had just some energy and some passion.

-Good presentation, good overall knowledge, and a lot of citations.

-[ Chanting ] Caden!

Caden!

Caden!

-Which way did you go?

-California Wild.

-Yep.

-Oregon Wild.

-Yes, sir.

-Wyoming Wild is in.

Illinois.

South Carolina.

Wisconsin Wild.

And D.C. -That's it.

Keep rocking.

-You're golden.

-One time, everybody in the building, from the left to the right, front to the back, if you're having a good time this weekend, make some noise!

[ All cheering ] -Hello, We the People people.

I will now announce the top teams.

Are you ready?

-Yes!

-Yes!

-I do not envy the judges, the task they had today.

The first school is California.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Shocking nobody.

-The next school -- California Wild.

[ Cheers and applause ] The next school in the top ten -- Virginia Wild.

[ Cheers and applause ] Colorado.

Oregon.

Washington.

Massachusetts.

[ Cheers and applause ] -It was inevitable that Maggie Walker was never gonna be able to maintain the first place forever.

My dad's Glen Allen team did well.

They made in the top ten.

I was obviously disappointed, but as soon as we lost, my dad definitely was saying the right things.

His words were comforting.

-I was blindsided because, like, I thought it wasn't even a question, like, without a doubt we're getting top ten.

-Gave it our best run.

That's all you can do.

-It's a tough competition.

-We've known all along that this is hard.

It's hard.

You've done exactly what you needed to do to come here this weekend and perform... -Because it takes so much.

You have to be so smart, so motivated... -That's life.

-...and so dedicated and so lucky... ...to really make a run all the way through to win a national title.

[ People cheering ] -It's my pleasure tonight to announce the unit awards.

For Unit Four -- come on down, New Jersey!

[ People cheering ] -Ultimately, our school wasn't recognized with an overall award.

But, you know, for Kenneth, Rania, Sunjay, Evan, they were recognized as one of the top overall units in the country.

[ Applause ] -I remember I'm sitting there, and our hearts just keep racing.

-And your We the People national finals champion are... -That was probably the most stressful thing that I've ever experienced with other people around me, all sharing all that energy together.

-Oregon Wild!

[ Cheers and applause ] -I know we did good.

I saw our scores, they confirmed it.

It's just like, we did good, and it's just other teams did better.

-We got roasted, just laid out by the judges.

[ Laughs ] That's all right.

The goal was to make it to D.C. -Oh, yeah.

[ Cheers and applause ] -You know, the experience of being in Washington, D.C., I'll just sum it up -- One kid said, you know, "This has inspired me," and I think that's worth it way more than the competition itself.

-Thanks!

-Thank you very much.

-It's not about winning.

It's about good citizenship.

It's about authentic citizenship.

It's about producing the next generation of leaders.

-They have a hope, and I think that they don't see the world so much the way that those of us who are older see it, like seemingly falling apart.

[ Cheers and applause ] I know they're going to bring heart and kindness and passion.

The world needs kind people.

The world needs people that are going to listen and not shut each other out.

-[ Chanting ] Miss D!

Miss D!

Miss D!

Miss D!

Miss D!

[ Cheers and applause ] -My parents are driving up right now from Durango, Mexico.

It's been a nearly a year since I've seen my dad.

How are you guys?

-Ohh!

-Come here.

It's been so long.

-Oh, yeah.

[ Laughs ] -I knew you would.

Hey.

-I'm happy to see you.

-Yeah.

Me too.

I'm happy to see both of you guys.

I know.

It's been too long.

-You're so skinny.

-[ Laughs ] -Do you have your gown and your... -Yeah, right there.

-Try it on?

-All right.

I don't know how to do the tassel stuff still, so.

-Why?

What's wrong with the tassel?

-I don't know how to do it.

I don't... After I got kicked out of school, one of my counselors reached out to a program at another nearby high school that would allow me to finish my classes ahead of schedule instead of being in a regular class.

-Is it tight?

-So that means I get to walk with graduation with the rest of my class.

-You were pulling it back too much.

-I don't know how to wear these.

-Yeah, that's good right there.

-Okay.

-Yeah?

-[ Laughs ] -I'm glad that day is finally here because for a couple of times I really thought that you weren't going to make it.

We were like, "Mario, come on, you're so close!"

I'm so proud of you.

-I'm excited about the idea of college, but the reality of college just has not set in yet.

-I'm so excited.

-I'm excited but sad.

-It is bittersweet because I know this is probably one of the last times that I'll be with all of them in the same place ever.

-I have lived my entire life like this.

No neighbors, nothing around me.

So that's a -- that's a change.

-People who live here have pride in what they come from.

-The Appalachian pride.

-Yeah.

-West Virginia, what are you known for?

Low education or addicted to drugs.

So we have to advocate for ourselves because we constantly are dogged on or stereotyped.

-I'm just really excited for them, that I know I can sleep well at night because those girls are going to make it.

They're gonna be okay, and they're gonna make this place much better.

-Daddy, where are you?

Can you help me with my tassel?

I'm excited to go to school.

I'm going into criminal justice.

How do I wear my cap?

But I'm not going there to get a fancy degree.

I'm going there so that I can make sure I can help people the way I've always wanted to.

-Okay?

-Okay.

And because we go to Southwest CTA... -All right?

I'm proud of her.

-It's hard for people to get ahead, normal people.

I mean, frankly, it's actually just kind of scary because there's a lot going on outside of anyone's control, any regular person like me.

[ Cheers and applause ] What keeps me going is the fact that I don't want to throw in the towel.

Life goes on, you know?

-Good job.

-Mario!

Hello!

[ "Pomp and Circumstance" playing ] -I'm honored to introduce Miss Lindt.

She's a role model and a teacher that moves the hearts of many.

[ Cheers and applause ] -I want to speak to you about failure because on your path to success, all of you will experience failure and disappointment.

We must experience trial and error to improve ourselves.

Failure creates growth, and you will grow more from failure than you ever will from success.

-There is two things about this class that are true.

They do not like ignorance and they do not like apathy.

They will learn and they will do.

And that is what we need now more than ever in our country.

-Oh, yes.

-I want to see a future where we're actively feeling like we need to make change.

You can always say, "Oh, I'm gonna vote to change America."

What are you going to do after that?

Because there's a fourth branch of government, and that's the people, nd you need to actively be a member of that branch.

-I would like to challenge you to fail early and often, but more importantly, I dare you to overcome.

-We all make mistakes.

We're all very human.

Regardless of your political ideology, who you are, what you are, we are all Americans, we're all people.

People are people.

People inspire each other.

We make each other want to grow and become better.

-When reality hit hard, I scrambled to find my own identity, my own way, all while racing the countdown to adulthood.

We are the next generation of this country.

-Elizabeth Fakoya.

-And I think we've inherited a lot of problems.

-Mario Angel Antunez.

-But I want everybody who's watching to have faith in the fact that we will do our best to tackle these issues, we'll do the best to give everybody a voice, and we'll do the best to make the world a better place.

[ Cheers and applause ] - Didn't mean it Didn't mean it, didn't mean it Didn't mean it -I've been protected by my family, and now I'm going out on my own and I can see the world for what it is.

I feel like the world's my oyster.

I'm gonna shuck it right through and... that's clams, but grab the pearl.

- Didn't mean it