Fishers High School We the People team finishes sixth in nation

By Sam Elliott

The Fishers High School We the People team followed up its Indiana state championship with a sixth-place finish at last month’s national finals in Washington D.C.

“The kids wanted to place a little bit higher, but once we kind of saw what was going on… the national coordinator said it was one of the most difficult top 10s in the last couple decades,” FHS social studies teacher and We the People coach Elizabeth Paternoster said. “That’s just the way it worked out. To get sixth was huge. The kids did great.”

After two rounds of Fishers’ six units performing two rounds of presentations, the field of 54 teams from across the country was whittled down to 10.

“The top 10 actually testify and perform their final round on Capitol Hill,” Paternoster said. “I think the greatest experience for the kids was testifying on Capitol Hill where many thousands of experts in their fields have done so. All sorts of famous people have been in these rooms. I think that meant a lot to the kids to have that experience.”

Fishers High School’s sixth-place finish was its second in the top 10 in the past three years following a fourth-place showing in 2014. In addition to the competition, students had the opportunity to visit the city’s collection of landmarks, memorials and historic sights.

“For me the highlight of the trip was being able to go to the Supreme Court because my unit specifically focused on the Bill of Rights and we talk a lot about the Supreme Court,” FHS senior Marlee Jacocks said. “To actually see it and be in that building was really, really cool.”

“It was a really cool opportunity to see what we’re actually learning about all the time just going to Capitol Hill and seeing all the courts,” added classmate Dan Stevens. “It was a great opportunity and definitely an experience of a lifetime and I’ve become a better citizen because of it.”