https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3bzbqBIz-
Constitutional Law, often referred to as “Con Law” by students, is a class where students work together to compete in the We the People Competition, an annual competition where students participate in mock congressional hearings. East High School has competed since the program was founded in 1987, as part of the Bicentennial Celebration. In Con Law, students are given three sets of questions as part of their panel, made up of 4-6 people. They study each one carefully, creating short opening statements responding to the question and gathering evidence to respond to follow up questions. Students spend the first semester preparing for the state competition, held in December. In the second semester, if East wins at the state competition, students then prepare for the national competition, held in Washington DC in April. East High School has won the state competition ten years in a row, and has won the nationals competition five times since the program began. In 2024, East High School placed fourth nationally out of the 48 teams from across the country that competed.
Con law offers students the opportunity to challenge themselves with not only college-level coursework as part of the AP US Government curriculum, but also through the We the People Competition itself. This class provides its students with a multitude of skills, such as writing, collaboration, and public speaking. Con Law also gives students a deeper understanding of American government, at a time when civic knowledge had declined nationally. Overall, Con Law is a unique experience which students overwhelmingly look back upon fondly. If you or your student is interested in taking the class, talk to your counselor about joining AP Comparative Government (the class Con Law is officially listed as).
If you are an alumni of East’s Constitutional Law program, you can join the alumni network via this link.
Mandy Hostetter is the current teacher for the Con Law Program. For questions or comments, she can be reached at Mandy_Hostetter@dpsk12.net