In what the county calls “an exemplary showcase of Constitutional knowledge”, teams from Douglas S. Freeman and Glen Allen high schools claimed the top two spots at the state “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” competition on Jan. 27 at Randolph-Macon College, earning historic bids to the national finals in April.

Freeman High School won its third state championship in the civics-based competition, and Glen Allen High School was the state runner-up for the second time. This marks the first time that a pair of Henrico County Public Schools will serve as Virginia’s two representatives (one champion and one wild card) for the prestigious national event in the same year.

“It is very special to represent Henrico with Freeman,” said Ryan Conway, a history teacher at Glen Allen. “To be honest, our region of Virginia has had three of the strongest ‘We the People’ programs for a long time. Although this program is competitive, ultimately, the big picture is that students learn what it means to be an active citizen. And this program does that consistently.”

“We the People,” administered nationally by the Center for Civic Education and sponsored in the state by Virginia Civics, challenges students to tackle Constitutional concepts and deliver responses to prompts in a setting resembling a congressional hearing. Each team is split up into six units to handle different topics, and each of these units must prepare their own four-minute speeches, followed by an eight-minute question-and answer session with a panel of judges. Some of the impactful and timely topics explored during this year’s competitions included immigration, natural rights philosophy and state sovereignty.

Freeman has qualified for the national finals eight times in the past 12 years, finishing as high as third place in the nation in 2022, under the direction of Rob Peck, the director of the Center for Leadership, Government, and Global Economics. Freeman has frequently represented Virginia at the national event alongside Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, which has won six national championships, most recently in 2023. Because one of eight qualified schools did not attend the state competition, two different teams from Freeman were eligible to compete, with Team Publius claiming the top honor and Team Brutus earning third place. Team Brutus was the champion of the regional competition in December. 

“I’m really proud of both teams,” Peck said. “… While they were competing against one another, what was most impressive to me was the encouragement they were giving to each other. They are friends and classmates first and took genuine pride in one another’s accomplishments. As a teacher, it was amazing to watch.”

Glen Allen’s team is led by Conway as well as state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, who teaches AP government along with representing a large portion of Henrico County as a legislator. Under their guidance, Glen Allen students made the national finals for the first time in 2021 (attending virtually) before making it back this year. Conway credits his students’ strong sense of competition and their dedication in mastering this multifaceted project for this run of success, as well as the invaluable perspective offered by state Sen. VanValkenburg for such an exercise.

“As an active legislator, he can talk about his personal experience with government on the state level, which makes so much of this content relevant,” Conway said. “He is the perfect example of an informed and active citizen and is a wonderful model for our students to see that they can make change in our government if they choose to be active participants.”

The “We the People” national finals will take place at the National Conference Center in Leesburg from April 13-15. The top 10 teams from Saturday’s and Sunday’s rounds will compete in a third round on Monday at the National Union Building in Washington, D.C. The awards ceremony will be held at the National Conference Center on April 15 and will be livestreamed.

Photos by Drew Precious, courtesy of Virginia Civics

1: Team Publius from Douglas S. Freeman High School poses after claiming first place at the state “We the People” competition at Randolph-Macon College on Jan. 27. The win qualified the team for the “We the People” national finals, and it was the school’s third state victory in the civics-based event.

2: Students from Glen Allen High School pose for a photo after placing second at the state “We the People” competition at Randolph-Macon College on Jan. 27. Glen Allen earned its way to the national finals as a wild card, meaning both of Virginia’s representatives at this year’s culminating event come from Henrico County Public Schools.