Volume 58, Issue 8
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
April p 2010
Gov Team Conquers Capitol Hill
In this issue:
Photo by ELLIOTT LEE
SPORTS pg. 12 Ready, Set, Go: The AHS Track Team kicked off April by hosting the annual Arcadia Invitational.
Photo courtesy of FRANK HUANG DOMINATING IN DC After 15 years, our AHS Constitution Team brings the National Championship title of the “We the
People: The Citizen and the Constitution” Competition back home to California. By HANA RUDOLPH Staff Writer Photo courtesy of ANONYMOUS
POSTSECRETS pgs. 14-16, 28 It’s that Time of the Year Again: AHS students participate in the 2010 Postsecrets project.
Photo by AMY LEONG and photo courtesy BLOGCATALOG COM of BLOGCATALOG.COM
FEATURES pg. 23 The Secret Life of the American Teacher: Where did our teachers work before AHS?
The journey started exactly one year ago, thirty names on a single sheet of paper. Thirty names representing the thirty people who would make up the ‘09-‘10 AHS Constitution Team (Gov Team). Since then, Gov Team members have proven their commitment through countless hours of dedication. They have attended every Monday night practice without fail, gearing up for competition in the City Council Chambers. Since Gov Team is divided into six units, each with a different focus on the Constitution and its role in our government, the units hold their own weekly meetings. They have researched the philosophical ideas of Cicero, Toqueville, and Locke; they have memorized citations from the Magna Carta and provisions of early state constitutions. They have referenced executive orders and have read the full lengths of relevant court cases, tirelessly devoting their senior lives to studying the American government… all for the joy of competing in the 23rd annual “We The People” National Competition.
“We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” National Competition, named after the first line of the Preamble to the Constitution, is a competition testing American high school students about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and is held on a regional, state, and national level. Since California has ten regions composed of 53 congressional districts, those ten regions were represented at the state finals, as well as two “wild card” teams (teams that were allowed to advance despite having lost their regional competition). Not surprisingly, the December regional competition was a breeze for the Gov Team members. It was State that brought a fierce level of competition. Only the team that won first place at State could go on to the National Finals—but even through State, Gov Team showed its ability to bring the heat. In February, Gov Team won first place at State and the right to advance into Nationals. Nationals, held Apr. 24 to 26, had 50 teams representing the 50 states and an additional two teams from Washington, D. C. and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—1,100 students all vying for first place. The competition format consisted of
two days of preliminary rounds on Saturday and Sunday and a final round on Monday for the top ten teams which were announced on Sunday night. Advancing teams would compete in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Gov Team, having placed second after the two preliminaries, competed in the last round—but no one could have dared to hope for the final result. In the countdown to the announcement of the final placement of the national competition, the Gov Team members were anxiously gripping each other’s hands as senior Madyson Cassidy said, “I just want you guys to know, no matter what happens, I love you guys.” A few seconds later, the championship team was announced: Arcadia, CA. After California was announced the national champions of the competition, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proudly stated, “I am so proud of the students at AHS...These young men and women are the future of our state and today they proved that our future is bright.” In a finale of events, Gov Team has conquered a nation. hrudolph@apachepowwow.com