Over 200 high school students met at the Minnesota State Capitol to discuss the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights at the annual “We the People, the Citizen and the Constitution” Competition on December 17, 2009. The students demonstrated their knowledge in mock congressional hearings where they were judged by panels of lawyers, teachers, and public policy professionals. Duluth Central High School emerged as the 2009 champion, defeating defending champion Cannon Falls High School who came in second.

Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson presented the awards in the Chambers of the House of Representatives, with brief comments made by Representative Tom Tillberry. Tom Pahl and Jerry Bren of the Foley & Mansfield law firm presented the winning team with a $15,000 check to help send them to the national competition.

“We the People” is a national program that teaches students about the U.S. Constitution and the rights and responsibilities of being citizens. There are over 200 Minnesota classrooms using the “We the People” curriculum materials with nine high schools competing in this culminating event. The winner of this academic competition will represent Minnesota at the national “We the People” Competition in Washington D.C.

Teams competing in this year’s event were Albany High School, Cannon Falls High School, Champlin Park High School, Duluth Central High School, Heritage Christian Academy, Pines School, Ramsey International Fine Arts Center, Roseville Area High School and St. Cloud Tech High School.

Why Foley & Mansfield Got Involved

In 2005, Civics Teacher Ethan Fisher and his team of students earned the honor of representing Minnesota at the National “We the People” Competition. But they were having difficulty raising the money. Upon reading about the team’s hardship in the newspaper, Steve Foley, a lawyer and co-founder of Foley & Mansfield, took action. His law firm contributed $15,000 so the team could travel to Washington, D.C. to compete that year. The firm further pledged to support each of Minnesota’s winning teams with $15,000 each year for five years.

Fisher has coached over 200 students, all of whom have gone on to compete on teams at the national competition. The “We the People” Competition offers students an opportunity to dive into the civics process, learn about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and take time to understand and discuss topics related to government and politics. Most of Fisher’s students have gone on to become professionals such as lawyers and doctors…and even politicians. One student from the 2002 team ran for a seat in the State House.

“Win or lose, participating in this program is a benefit to the students,” says Fisher. “It is the generosity of people like Steve Foley that allows our students to better their education and help them prepare for their future.”

“The young people who participate in the ‘We the People’ Competition represent our future community leaders,” says Foley. “Helping the winning team with expenses such as airfare and lodging lets them focus on preparing for the national competition. Our financial pledge to this valuable program is about to end. We hope and encourage other firms and businesses to step forward to help.”